Mark Chan | "Ren 人” Meditations on 人 — Man, People

Courtesy of the artist and Ode to Art 

Mark Chan is painter, calligrapher, composer and former National Swimmer. He studied fine arts at the Edinburgh College of Art and was Resident Composer of TheatreWorks for 10 years from 1989 to 1999. Chan has seven solo albums to his name under Warner (WEA), Polygram, BMG and Hori Productions. He completed a series of commissions for Singapore Arts Festival from 2003 to 2013 and has performed at venues across the world as part of various productions with international talents. In 2024, his ink painting Our Ancestors Came in Boats was presented to President Tharman at the 85^th Anniversary of Singapore Aquatics celebration.

This work is part of a series of studies on a single Chinese character. It is rooted in the artist’s personal spiritual practice, as a form of meditation and what Chan describes as a “soul conversation”. The character人, which means man or people, is repeated across the paper surface, building up rhythm and intensity. For Chan, the work reflects the crowded nature of our society and the pressure cooker environment that perpetuates injustice rather than kindness. Nevertheless, the artist tries to find beauty amidst the chaos.