Simon Chan – A life of reinvention and connection
The ancestral story of Simon Chan AM spans tropical rainforests, wartime tragedy, professional heartbreak and cultural leadership through the arts.
Today, as Chair of the Multicultural NSW Advisory Board, he is a bridge between communities, building on the lessons of his journey to ensure that multicultural communities can fully participate in NSW society.
Simon’s story begins with migration to the unknown, a common thread with many Cantonese overseas migrants. His great-grandfather left his life in southern China, migrating to Rabaul, Papua New Guinea.
“He just went on the ship as a hired labourer and he ended up in Papua New Guinea,” Simon says.
“And he decided that it seemed to be a nice place to stay.”
Over time, the family established themselves as importers and retailers in Rabaul.
Simon’s father, Ludwig, was shaped by his global experiences as a young man.
Schooled first in Hong Kong and later studied engineering at Hong Kong University where he was the top student in the faculty, he rose to become a Professor of Engineering at Guangxi University and then Zhejiang University in China. He was equally renowned for his intellect and sporting prowess.
“He was the captain of the soccer team for Hong Kong University, and a member of the athletics and swimming teams,” Simon notes.
Simon’s mother, Cecilia, carried with her a tragic legacy. As a young woman, she and her best friend vowed to fight the Japanese invasion of China during the 1930s.
They were on their way to studying at university but decided to join a female militia instead, only for her friend to be killed in an air raid.
“They split up and moved into two separate buildings. Her girlfriend went to the building that got bombed, and my mother was lucky to be alive.”
That brush with death became a defining thread in Simon’s family history.
Born in Hong Kong after the Second World War, Simon absorbed his parents’ emphasis on education and resilience.
His father returned to Hong Kong to teach but then became the chief engineer in a factory designing and manufacturing torches and other small appliances. It was a job he enjoyed.
“Education is fundamental in the journey of life,” Simon says of his parents’ consistent message.
“It is far more important in providing the platform for contribution to society than what money can offer.”
At 16, Simon came to Sydney, enrolling at St Joseph’s College in Hunters Hill and his family migrated to Sydney the following year.
Initially destined for engineering but with a desire to become a songwriter and guitarist in a band, Simon’s course changed as a result of wanting to pursue something creative and after a holiday job encounter with an architecture student.
He excelled in his architecture studies, graduating with First Class Honours from University of Sydney and establishing himself in respected architectural firms before founding his own practice in the late 1980s. He thrived, designing housing, commercial spaces and community projects.
After two decades in the world of architecture and after experiencing a very difficult moment in his life towards the end of that period, Simon had an epiphany and decided to pivot his career entirely.
Drawing on the art training embedded in his architecture degree and his interest and passion for the arts, he founded his art gallery, Art Atrium, in Bondi Junction in 2009.
Its soaring atrium space became a home for cross-cultural collaboration; a place where Australian, Asian, Indigenous and Multicultural contemporary artists could converse through their work.
The opening exhibition, Transcendence, captured Simon’s vision: a fusion of identity, heritage and new perspectives. The gallery quickly became a hub, hosting luminaries from the arts, communities and politics.
Art Atrium’s focus on Aboriginal art has been particularly meaningful. Simon has travelled and engaged with Aboriginal artists across Australia.
“I just find it so interesting that you have thousands of years of culture expressed in the art, yet it is contemporary and it continues to evolve as well,” Simon says.
Through art, Simon found both healing and purpose.
His gallery gave visibility to under-represented voices, while his community roles forged bridges between heritage groups and mainstream institutions. One example of this is the Art Gallery of NSW, where he progressed from volunteer tour guide to Chair of the Gallery’s VisAsia Committee.
He became an active cultural and community connector. He is currently serving as Director on the Board of Sydney Festival and on the Board of the Australian National Maritime Museum Foundation, President of Chinese Australian Forum, Council member of the Australian Multicultural Council and as member of the Chinese Garden of Friendship Advisory Committee, Woollahra Council Arts & Culture Advisory Committee, Institute for Australian and Asian Arts and Culture Advisory Management Committee at Western Sydney University and Board member of NSW Government Geographical Names Board.
Simon was the recipient of the inaugural NSW Premier’s Multicultural Award for Arts & Culture in 2013. He was appointed as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia in 2023 for significant service to multiculturalism, the indigenous community and the arts.
Today, as Chair of the Multicultural NSW Advisory Board, Simon Chan AM brings hard-earned perspective. He understands the trauma of dislocation, the sting of racism, the precariousness of professional life and the saving grace of community and creativity.
His leadership is collaborative rather than hierarchical, informed by both his family’s legacy of survival and his own reinvention.
“I decided that rather than being negative and feeling sorry for myself when I was going through the darkest period of my life, I’d turn negative energy into positive energy,” he concludes.
“So, I decided to contribute whatever I can and basically, it comes back to serving community.”