Kan Sun

Modern and contemporary Chinese visual artist Kan Sun completed her art education from the Jilin College of Arts located in Changchun, Jilin, China. Subsequently, she secured a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Repin Academy of Fine Art, Russia. Kan Sun is a sought-after artist on the international art market scene. Many of her artworks have been sold at various auctions. She is most well known for her painting Chatting, which was sold at the Christie’s Hong Kong Asian Contemporary Art auction for a good price.

Rich in symbolism, Chatting is a fascinating piece of work. The painting features a man and a woman apparently trying to engage in a conversation. However, the figures of both the subjects are inverted. So when the viewer looks at the painting directly, they get to see the shadow of the man and a guitar-like musical instrument that seems to substitute the lower half of the woman’s body. Her face is covered with a mask. The surreal painting is very open-ended. At one level, it symbolizes the futility of all human communication. The artist questions the ritualistic nature of human interaction where it’s all a façade and no real communication is happening whatsoever. At another level, it also signifies the possibility of a real connection if one stops being blindfolded. The painting embodies the essential dilemma of human existence and beautifully conveys an abstract and philosophical idea through figurative art. Stylised and distorted, the sombre colour palette adds to the whole gesture of the artwork!

Essentially, Kan Sun’s oeuvre delves into the psychological states of humans, under oblivion and melancholy.