Lena Sin

BIO

Lena Sin is a contemporary painter born and raised in Hong Kong, and currently based in Vancouver, Canada. Her paintings are transportive and immersive, taking viewers to lush, tropical escapes and holiday-like scenes. Like a window into your favourite vacation, her scenes invite the viewer to exhale and expand into joy, and savour everyday beauty. Sin has studied under artists Emily Powell, Nicholas Tay, Tania Willis and Helen Stephens. Her works have been placed in private collections in Vancouver, Hong Kong and Germany.

Colour is central to her art, using a tonal palette of vibrant hues and soft pastels to create a luminous atmosphere. Spanning the subjects of tablescapes and scenes inspired by her favourite places — Bali and Thailand in particular — her art is a balance of spontaneous and intentional mark-making. Her intention is to transport the viewer to a place that feels light, yet deep. Whether it’s remembering the wonder of a lush garden, hearing birdsong at breakfast or gathering around a table with your favourite people, Sin’s art takes us both somewhere externally and internally. It’s an exploration of what it means to return to our naturally joyous selves.

ARTIST STATEMENT

"Immersing myself in lush, tropical escapes is one of my greatest joys, and my art is a window into that world. Ever since I was a young girl, I have loved being transported. One of my most potent memories was travelling to Bangkok for the first time, aged nine. I can still remember my utter delight and surprise at landing in a totally new place: I fell in love with the colours, the textures, the smells and culture of this new, exotic land.

To this day, I still believe there are a few feelings that rival that moment of discovery. Travel helps transport us, but it also shapes a deeper understanding of ourselves. My art serves as a window into both an external and an internal world. It’s an exploration of joy, wonder and a feeling of expansion into ourselves and our connections with each other. I love painting places that are close to my heart: Bali and Thailand are places I revisit over and over again. However, there are also other places woven in, including snippets of Hong Kong, my hometown, and Vancouver, where I currently live. The viewer may not have been here, and yet, they have been here. Because more than a place, I am painting a feeling. It’s an invitation to exhale, to let go and lean into joy and savour everyday beauty, wherever you happen to be."