Charles Chau

Art critics have described the work of artist Charles Chau as drawing inspiration from classic Chinese calligraphy, urban architecture and masterly painterly styles.

His latest body of work, the Fafa series, is a deliberate attempt to break away from his former signature monochromatic works, Mountain Vastness, that explored contained emotions, now liberated with unique coloured brushstrokes and freely associated forms.

Charles is a graduate of the University of Hong Kong in Philosophy and Art History. He also obtained an MBA from the London Business School. In a much earlier stage of his career, he became the youngest editor-in-chief in the 50-year history of Hong Kong's iconic cultural magazine when he was 26. After completing graduate school, Charles first worked at McKinsey & Company and later joined MTV Networks, a Viacom company, as their Managing Director in North Asia. 18 years ago, he quitted his high-flyer corporate career at the age of 42 and began his artistic creation in modesty. Establishing an atelier in 2006, Charles was also involved in several revitalisation projects of historical buildings and architectural projects in Hong Kong and Asia.

In 2019, Charles was commissioned to paint a mural depicting Okanagan Chinese history in downtown Kelowna, BC, Canada. The documentary of the mural project Flowers & Fruits recently won the “10 Best” title of China’s Roots Film Awards 2020, presented by the Chinese Filmmakers Association. The documentary is also a semi-finalist of the 3rd Edition, Cypress Archaeological, Ethnological, and Historical Film Festival 2020. The documentary is now part of the permanent collection of Kelowna Heritage Museum.

Charles has held large-scale solo art exhibitions in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Vancouver.