Sim Chan is a Hong Kong-based artist, best known for his SimSky and SimCity series painted on handmade wooden frames. Born in 1987, the artist got his education from Hong Kong Art School, majoring in Painting. Upon graduation, Sim Chan established his studio in Fo Tan, the art district of Hong Kong.
SimSky No.61, 2015
Recurring motifs in Sim’s painting are elements of urban architecture and city skylines. Like looking through the viewfinder of a camera, Chan’s paintings capture images of the sky outlined and surrounded by crowded skyscrapers of Hong Kong. The aerial view of the sky in the city is transformed into various rectangular shapes and symbolic signs, visible in his SimSky series. His body of work is a compilation of artist’s own observations, memories and feelings towards the dynamic, ever-changing city. Sim’s works are an attempt to further explore the underneath connections between lifestyle and the changes that people made upon the nature.
These self-crafted wooden frames and cut-out shapes of the sky are made with mathematical calculation and effort. In such way, canvas and frame serve not only as surfaces to be painted on, but also as forms to be created.
SimCity series
In another series of work – SimCity, Chan creates his own virtual megalopolis. Each work has been built from the outcomes of the last, and the whole series evolved from the artist’s memories of entangled histories of the city.
Sim Chan was selected as a finalist for the Sovereign Asian Art Prize in 2011. In addition, he received the Outstanding Artist Grand Award, and the Best Artwork Award in Painting by Hong Kong Art School. His work has been exhibited in many international art venues.
Ding Ding, exhibited at Back to the Future group show
He is represented by The Cat Street Gallery.
Sim Chan creates from his studio in Fo Tan, Hong Kong.
All images copyright © the artist
| Year | Exhibition Title | Gallery/Museum | Solo/Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Urban Dwelling | SataSky Contemporary Art, Zurich | Solo |
| 2016 | Crossing Border - Border Crossing —International Festival of Crossing Media | MOST Alternative Space, JCCAC Art Village, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2015 | BACK TO THE FUTURE - PHASE I | The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2015 | Floor of Love Art Exhibition | Hotel Sav, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2015 | Young Talent Hong Kong 2015 - Affordable Art Fair 2015 | Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2015 | ART CENTRAL 2015 | BOOTH C08, The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2015 | Crush On My City | Karin Weber Gallery, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2015 | 10th Anniversary Exhibition- In Conversations with 100 local artists | YY9 Gallery, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2014 | POETIC SPACE - Arthur Chan and Sim Chan | YY9 Gallery, Hong Kong | Duo |
| 2014 | CRACKER - Christmas Group Show | The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2014 | HONG KONG ARTS CENTRE CHARITY ART AUCTION 2014 | EXPERIMENTAL GALLERY, 3-F HKAC, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2014 | 2014 ART MO International Art Fair | the Venetian Macao Cotai Expo, Macao | Group |
| 2014 | SPOT ART 2014 | ARTRIUM at MCI, SINGAPORE | Group |
| 2014 | FINE ART ASIA 2014 | Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2014 | 2014 ART NOVA 100 | National Agricultural Exhibition Center, Beijing ,China | Group |
| 2014 | The 2013-14 Sovereign Asian Art Prize Finalist Exhibition | The Rotunda, Exchange Square, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2014 | 100ft.PARK Special Project 2 - Inside 100ft² - Affordable Art Fair 2014 | Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2014 | Art at Government Buildings 2013-14 | Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2014 | Fotanian OpenStudios 2014 | Red Elation Studio X Sim Chan, Fo Tan, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2013 | Crafting Sky - Sim Chan & Stanley Siu | 100 ft. PARK, Hong Kong | Duo |
| 2013 | Art Taipei 2013 | Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1, Taipei | Group |
| 2013 | Hong Kong Human Rights Art Prize 2013 - by Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre, HKRAC | Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2013 | Fine Art Asia 2013 | Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2013 | Asia Contemporary Art Show 2013 | JW Marriott Hotel, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2013 | Hong Kong Inivitational Oil Painting Exhibition 2013 | Hong Kong Central Library, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2013 | ENVIRON(S): Cityscape | Red Elation Gallery, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2013 | Evolution | K11, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2013 | Young Talent Hong Kong - Affordable Art Fair 2013 | Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2013 | AHAF HK 2013 | Mandarin Oriental, Central, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2013 | Selected works by Gallery Artists | Red Elation Gallery, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2013 | Fotanian OpenStudios 2013 | Fo Tan, Hong Kong (Red Elation Studio X Sim Chan) | Group |
| 2012 | Viewfinder | Red Elation Gallery, Hong Kong | Solo |
| 2012 | SimSky: Sim Chan Solo Exhibition | Leo Gallery, Shanghai | Solo |
| 2012 | Inside Out - Sim Chan and Vaan Ip | Fabrik Contemporary Art, Hong Kong | Solo |
| 2012 | Art Taipei 2012 | Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1, Taipei | Group |
| 2012 | Asia Contemporary Art Show 2012 | Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2012 | Fine Art Asia 2012 | Hall 5, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2012 | FABULOUS ROMANTIC - The Art of City Life in the eyes of 13 Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan artists | SIGNATURE Fine Arts ,Beijing | Group |
| 2012 | JET | Ocean Terminal Main Concourse, Harbour City Hong Kong | Group |
| 2012 | HONG KONG AUGUST - In the Mood for Art | SIGNATURE Fine Arts ,Beijing | Group |
| 2012 | Art Melbourne 2012 | Royal exhibition Building, Carlton, Australia | Group |
| 2012 | Hong Kong Contemporary | The Park Lane Hong Kong, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2012 | HONG KONG inVISIBLE - Contemporary Art Exhibition by Hong Kong Artists | Schoeni Art Gallery, Central, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2012 | Small is Beautiful Vol.3 | Leo Gallery, Shanghai | Group |
| 2012 | AHAF HK 2012 | Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong | Group |
| 2012 | 1st Hong Kong Oil Painting Competition 2012 | Central Library, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2012 | The Sovereign Asian Art Prize 2011 Finalists Exhibition | Level 3 Main Foyer, The Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore | Group |
| 2012 | Group Show | Pearl Lam’s gallery, Shanghai | Group |
| 2012 | Fotanian OpenStudios 2012 | Fo Tan, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2011 | [KONG] ² | New Gallery on Old Bailey, Central, Hong Kong | Solo |
| 2011 | VISION - Hong Kong Contemporary Art Exhibition & Hong Kong Cancer Fund Charity Auction | Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2011 | Selected works by Gallery Artists | Red Elation Gallery, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2011 | ART FAIR TOKYO 2011 | Tokyo International Forum, Japan | Group |
| 2011 | Fotanian OpenStudios 2011 | Fo Tan, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2010 | Here, there, where? - Sim Chan and Sun Yu | FQProject Gallery, Shanghai | Solo |
| 2010 | Chinese 20th Century and Contemporary Art Autumn Auction 2010 | Beijing | Group |
| 2010 | ShContemporary 2010 | Shanghai Exhibition Centre, Shanghai | Group |
| 2010 | 3 IN 1- An exhibition by Pabro | Red Elation Gallery, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2010 | Fotanian OpenStudios 2010 | Fo Tan, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2009 | 1st Hong Kong Contemporary Arts Honors Show & Charity Auction 2009 | Pao Gallery, Hong Kong Art Centre, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2009 | Invitational Exhibition for HK Young Artist | Wan Fung Gallery, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2009 | The moon gazed at you - You gaze at it too | White arcade, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2009 | FEEL IN THE BLANK, Hong Kong Art School Graduation Exhibition | Pao Gallery, Hong Kong Art Centre, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2009 | Fotan Artist Open Studios 2009 | Fo Tan, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2008 | 2008 GATHER Exhibition | A&M Art Workshop, JCCAC, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2008 | Trail Of Time Exhibition | La Lanta Fine Art Gallery, Bangkok | Group |
| 2008 | Childhood Memories Exhibition | A Gallery, Central, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2008 | Fotan Artist Open Studios 2008 | Fo Tan, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2007 | Small d design Exhibition of JIUU | XNHUA Book City, Hong Kong | Group |
| 2007 | Small d design Exhibition of JIUU | A Link Gallery, Hong Kong | Group |
