SU SIAN TAN | Tam Vanum

Su Sian graduated with a degree in Design Communications from LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore, and worked as a packaging designer for three years before moving on to her current work in the events industry as a designer. 

Growing up under the influence of her grandfather who was a Chinese calligrapher and father whom was very artistically inclined, Su Sian’s interest in art and design became second nature to her. From the hand lettering she dabbled in in college to her first foray into Copperplate script, Su Sian’s interest in calligraphy turned into serious pursuit when she decided to take the CLAS-UK certification for which she obtained a distinction for the Copperplate script.

In 2020, she took a Gothicized Italic class with Nina Tran which changed her world. From then, Su added Fraktur, pointed pen uncial, uncial, italics, wedge brush painting, roman capitals, versals and filigrees to her collection of loves. With an insatiable appetite for learning, Su feels she will never stop learning this fascinatingly beautiful art form. She began to venture into engraving, enhanced by a sound understanding of letterforms and her eye for layout and design

Besides calligraphy, she enjoys working with her hands in building and making, and exploring how to incorporate calligraphy into other mainstream art forms, to create something everyone can enjoy. With a design-based background, a strong concept has always been important. These characteristics surface in the works Su Sian exhibits, in which she teases viewers and challenges the boundaries of what is normally considered 'art' and 'beautiful'. 

Under the mentorship of Gemma Black, Su Sian was encouraged to blend her design training with her calligraphic endeavours, and engraving skills in innovative, inventive new approaches.