artwork > Text

Irene Chan is a multidisciplinary artist who works conceptually in print media, papermaking, installation art, storytelling performance, and book arts on subjects of Taoism, personal immigrant narratives, and overlooked histories. Her artist books and works on paper have been exhibited internationally and held in 111 public collections including the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC, Walker Art Center, Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Tate Modern, Victoria & Albert Museum, and the British Library in London. Chan established Ch’An (ch’ ahn) Press through which she has self-published prints and 43 artist books to date. She is the recipient of grants and awards from Erasmus+MobileUP, the National Endowment for the Arts, New York Arts Council, Maryland State Arts Council, Washington D.C. Commission of the Arts and Humanities, of fellowships to 25 artist residencies, and has exhibited, performed, and lectured publicly in 52 venues in the last ten years.

Chan was awarded a Fulbright U.S. Scholar fellowship for October 2025 to July 2026. She is teaching at the University of Art and Design at Cluj-Napoca, Romania while conducting research at significant cultural institutions across Transylvania.

Irene Chan holds an M.F.A. with honors from the San Francisco Art Institute and a degree in architecture (BArch) with a Minor in English from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Besides running her own press and studio, she is also a Professor of Art (Print and Intermedia Arts) and Affiliate Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, U.S.A.