Sun Chan (born 1932) is a self-taught artist who is known for his unique Chinese character motifs. Born in

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, in 1932 to an overseas Chinese family, he was brought back to Fóshān, Guǎngdōng

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

to study the

Chinese language Chinese ( or ) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and List of ethnic groups in China, many minority ethnic groups in China, as well as by various communities of the Chinese diaspora. Approximately 1.39& ...

at the age of five. At this time Chan first became fascinated with

Chinese characters Chinese characters are logographs used Written Chinese, to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represe ...

. He has always loved

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

and painting but was unfortunately deprived of an education after the second grade due to the break out of the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

. He went through considerable hardship in the subsequent years and later moved to

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, where he worked his way from the ground up and established himself as a successful entrepreneur. As a great admirer of

since childhood, Chan has studied the Chinese writing on his own for years. Decades ago he began making innovative artworks with

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

, 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. 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

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, and

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He is to showcase his works in New York, US in 2017, and in

Zurich, Switzerland Zurich (; ) is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The urban area was home to 1.45 ...

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 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU or HKPU) is a public research university in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The university is one of the eight government-funded degree-granting tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. Founded in 1937 a ...

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. Chan has long retired from his businesses and currently resides in

Gold Coast, Australia The Gold Coast, also known by its initials, GC, is a coastal city and region in the state of Queensland, Australia, located approximately south-southeast of the centre of the state capital, Brisbane. It is Queensland's second-largest city a ...

, 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 * 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

Art exhibitions

References

Further reading