Chow Ciao Chow
Chow Ciao Chow is a Hong Kong-based visual artist who divides his time between Hong Kong and Berlin. Known for his vibrant, colorful sun-themed paintings, he explores emotionality , self-empowerment, joy, and sorrow through bold watercolor and acrylic.
After a career in fashion design, he co-founded the experimental art space Mum’s Not Home in Yau Ma Tei in 2014 and began his full-time artistic practice. Key series include Your Sunshine Is Crying and No More Sorrow.
His works have been featured by Sam Smith, exhibited in Hong Kong, Germany, Sweden and the United States, and collaborated with brands including Lane Crawford, Casetify, Le Labo and COS. They are held in private collections worldwide.
I believe the sun is a symbol of joy and positive energy, yet many people forget that it also has its unhappy side. Just like humans, it experiences both happiness and sadness. I want to use the sun as a medium to express emotions.
I am actually a very happy person, and many people around me call me “Sunshine.” To those around me who have never noticed: your sun is crying right now.
About Chow Ciao Chow
I grew up in Hong Kong, a city with extremely limited space where everything tends to expand vertically into the sky. When I paint, I love creating that sense of expansion pushing toward the edges of the canvas — that “edging” feeling — which I find full of vitality and life force.
I believe the sun is a symbol of joy and positive energy, yet many people forget that it also has its unhappy side. Just like humans, it experiences both happiness and sadness. I want to use the sun as a medium to express emotions.
I am actually a very happy person, and many people around me call me “Sunshine.” To those around me who have never noticed: your sun is crying right now.
During the pandemic, I went through many personal experiences about not being able to show my sadness to the people around me. From a young age, I was also taught that sorrow should not be expressed outwardly. That’s why I want to paint a sun with tears.
The colors I use are mainly the most basic and primary ones: red, yellow, blue, and green. My painting style mimics the way children draw with crayons — simple, naive, and innocent. I want to show that happiness is actually very simple, and so are our emotions; they don’t need to be complicated.
I often say that “the sun cries,” and its tears nourish the earth, causing sunflowers to bloom. These sunflowers are connected to other elements, each carrying the essence of the sun. I really love the name “sun” and feel deeply fascinated by it.
I enjoy depicting the mutually dependent and loving relationship between the sun and sunflowers. That’s why the color palette I use carries a warm and tender feeling.