View Art Gallery of NSW Peter Smeeth Packing Room Prize Webpage
Click here to view Peter Smeeth’s profile and artworks
Simon Chan has established a reputation as a professional gallery director who has helped many aspiring artists by showing them in his Art Atrium Gallery. Mixing exhibitions of established artists with younger artists, he has created a perfect way to promote living artists in difficult times.
Simon has also endeavoured to get prominent figures in the art world to open his exhibitions, which is a good way to publicise and promote younger artists. I commend Simon’s activities, and hope that the artists he has promoted will not forget who first gave them a helping hand. It is the first step up which counts so much in today’s very competitive art world.
Art Atrium is the invention of Simon Chan, an Architect who has a passion for art, especially indigenous art and architectural drawings. He is one of the few people with the breadth of experience and opportunity to hold such shows at his gallery that demonstrate his discerning eye and appreciation for the unusual and the best of art.
Simon Chan is a practising architect with a passionate commitment to promoting contemporary art that reflects Australia’s multiculturalism, and in which Australian Indigenous art has an important dynamic presence. In 2009 he founded Art Atrium in Bondi Junction to provide a dedicated space that would allow him to share his artists’ works with audiences, and also to enjoy the physical experience of curating the exhibitions. I have observed the superb way he manages the launch of these events, and I know that all of his artists appreciate the encouragement and advice that he never hesitates to offer.
Simon has established an active platform at Art Atrium to encourage cross cultural expression and collaboration among artists from different cultural background. I was honoured to open an exhibition of Chinese Australian women artists, as well as to conduct an Artists in Conversation event when artists directly communicate with art lovers. His passion towards art goes beyond his Gallery, and leads him to generously support art endeavours in public art institutions. He offers guided tours as a Community Ambassador at Art Gallery of NSW, and also serves as a Director on the Board of VisAsia which plays a vital role in promoting Asian art in Australia.
I love the paintings I have bought from Art Atrium - they have really struck a chord. It's also been an absolute pleasure talking with and buying from Simon; it's clear he's in it for the love of the art and that makes the whole experience so much less 'transactional' and more emotional.
