Michelle Chan 陳穎昭
ARTWORKS | NEWS
Michelle Chan is a process-oriented artist who creates abstract paintings, writes and composes music. Grown up and educated in Hong Kong and Sydney, she loves to immerse herself both in the serenity and awe of Nature as well as the vibrant and energetic impulses of city life. Her works are imbibed with the sunshine of both cities and they are imbued with energy and great vitality. She completed her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) with Distinction, after having obtained her Bachelor of Social Sciences (Major: Psychology), Master of Social Sciences (Clinical Psychology), and Doctoral of Psychology (Clinical Psychology) at the University of Hong Kong (HKU).
Extending from the tradition of Abstract Expressionism as well as her passion for and fascination with the human psyche as a clinical psychologist, Chan’s artwork focuses on exploring and capturing the beauty and resilience – the subtlety, intricacy, paradoxical struggles and contradictions, as well as abundance, of the psychological landscape in abstract paintings. She believes that our inner world is full of inner resources that can be discovered, cultivated and developed to lead a better and richer life. In addition to using acrylic painting for creative expression, she has ventured into other art forms, including clay, drawing, digital media, moving images, and interactive installation. As a Certified Mindfulness-Based Emotional Balance Teacher and a Certified Focusing Teacher, Chan embodies the processes of mindfulness meditation and focusing practice to create artwork from her inner felt sense and intuition that serve as a doorway to her inner world. She uses the visual language of bold, vibrant colors and exquisite forms to crystallize such authentic experience of presence and being, translating daily moments, recollections of stories about different people and places, sensations, feelings, reflections, imaginations, as well as references to music and aesthetic inspirations, into abstract compositions.
Chan is inspired by artists including Mary Heilmann, Thomas Nozkowski, Howard Hodgkin, Paul Klee, and Joan Miro, all of whom had used shape and color to represent human impulses and feelings that reflect ideas and autobiographical narratives based on their life experiences.
Chan's first solo exhibition, 'Lollipops: Focusing and Felt Sense in Abstract Painting', was held at Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre (JCCAC), Hong Kong. She has also exhibited in group shows in Hong Kong (e.g., Pao Galleries of Hong Kong Arts Centre) and Taipei. Her other solo exhibition, ‘Colors Speak My Heart’, was held at Eslite Spectrum, Hong Kong, in March and April 2022. She lives in Hong Kong. She loves to read, sing, skate, as well as drive and walk mindfully to explore different places.