Khai Foo: Real Estate Pengah Gallery, Vancouver May 30 - July 2 vertabrae 1 (1996), oil on canvas KHAI FOO, Vancouver-based painter is best known for his oil on canvas urban landscapes. His paintings combine realistic and impressionistic elements to portray scenes of motion and alienation within the city. In the past, Foo's works have always dealt with the issues surrounding the individual and his relationship with the larger community. "Real Estate" continues in this vein by exploring the idea of society's encroachment into space. Drawing inspiration from the increasing development of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Foo's paintings depict the construction of urban space as both living environment and commodity -- the physical construction of buildings is mirrored by the social construction of real estate. Foo graduated first in his class with a B.F.A. from the University of British Columbia in 1993 and has exhibited in many group and solo shows over the last four years. Foo's paintings are an insightful and timely record chronicling a city in a state of transition.