Sun Chan (Chen Shen)

Photo of Sun Chan

Sun Chan (born 1932) is a self-taught artist who is known for his unique Chinese character motifs. Born in Lima, Peru, in 1932 to an overseas Chinese family, he was brought back to Fóshān, Guǎngdōng China to study the Chinese language at the age of five. At this time Chan first became fascinated with Chinese characters. He has always loved calligraphy and painting but was unfortunately deprived of an education after the second grade due to the break out of the Pacific War. He went through considerable hardship in the subsequent years and later moved to Hong Kong, where he worked his way from the ground up and established himself as a successful entrepreneur.

As a great admirer of Chinese characters since childhood, Chan has studied the Chinese writing on his own for years. Decades ago he began making innovative artworks with Chinese characters merely to get his young daughters interested in their roots. What started out of an act of love has grown into his lifelong passion. Despite his lack of formal training in art Chan went on to explore with new visual representations for Chinese characters, and created various series of artwork throughout the years. With clean lines and vibrant colours, he transforms the Chinese script back into its pictorial form but as entirely new graphic emblems.

Chinese character motif artworks from Sun Chan's Huàn Xíng series

Chan's early works are mostly small drawings in pen and ink, colour pencils, pastels and markers on paper. He constantly educates and refines himself in skills, and has switched to large-scale acrylic paintings in his more recent works. His artistic creations had been exhibited in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Paris, France. He is to showcase his works in New York, US in 2017, and in Zurich, Switzerland by invitation of Ernst Hohl Cultural Foundation Appenzell in 2018.

Chan's Chinese character artworks have been made into unique wall art and installed at prestigious institutions such as the Innovation Tower of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the International School Academy of Hong Kong, and are also adopted in large-scale public sculptures as well as fashion/lifestyle products of an international luxury brand.

Chinese character pattern wall art by Sun Chan at J.C.DISI, Jockey Club Innovation Tower, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Chan has long retired from his businesses and currently resides in Gold Coast, Australia, where he continues to produce original Chinese character artworks with a penchant for creativity.

Art exhibitions

• 2017: Joy to the Words – Visual Playground of Chinese Characters II, The Arts House Singapore
• 2016: Au Delà Des Mots - La passion des caractères chinois - L’art de Sun Chan (Chén Shēn), China Cultural Centre, Paris, France
• 2016: More Than Words – Visual Playground of Chinese Characters, The Arts House Singapore

  

  Yuán Měi Series no. 1 (2014), acrylic paint on cotton canvas, 800mm in diameter

SānJiǎo Series no. 9 (2014), acrylic paint on linen canvas, 1150mm x 1150mm x 300mm

• 2014: Back to The Picture – a Visual/Verbal Interplay of Chinese Characters, HK Visual Art Center, Hong Kong
• 2013: Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (Hong Kong) – Beyond the Urban Edge, Kwun Tong Promenade Kowloon East Expo Site, Hong Kong
• 2013: The Talking Art – Chinese Character as Image, Pier 2 Art District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
• 2012: The Talking Art – Chinese Character as Image, Wanchai Visual Archive, Hong Kong

Further reading

• Sun Chan - Word into Art. 3030 Press. 2016.