The Private Chamber Painting

“Inspired by her family’s background in Chinese herbal medicine, Fuen creates calligraphic botanical paintings with dense, rhythmic compositions and bold mark making.” – Rebecca Wilson, Chief Curator for New Voice, Saatchi Art 2021 Special Edition Catalog. Fuen Chin is an artist who grew up in Kedah state, Malaysia. Her art takes inspiration from horticulture which is a nostalgic reflection of her childhood. Both her late grandparents were Chinese from Southern China with backgrounds in Chinese herbs and medicine, running a small herbal shop. It was there where Fuen learnt the importance of Chinese herbs and the stories around them. It is these stories and her visions about plants that provides an endless inspiration for the calligraphic floral paintings. Starting out as a self-taught artist, Chin eventually studied a Fine Art research degree at the Royal College of Art. She has worked on an art installation, citing the following response from the panel of judges: ‘We very much enjoyed your proposal and presentation and thought there were a lot of interesting possibilities that may emerge from your works.’ She continues to work and develop her calligraphic paintings using Chinese ink within a more contemporary context.