The Art Department is pleased to announce that Mao & Chris have joined our roster of artists.

Kun Chen (Mao) and Chris Savage are a collaborative artist duo based in Calgary, AB. Their work encompasses ceramics, painting, and public art, exploring themes of identity, cultural hybridity, and social transformation. Drawing from both traditional and contemporary influences, they create visually layered works that inspire cross-cultural dialogue.

The pair met in 2017 while completing their Master of Fine Arts degrees at the University of Calgary. In 2020, they founded Mao Projects and established a home studio to hone their practice. Mao’s background as a first-generation Chinese-Canadian artist and Chris’s Canadian upbringing, inform their collaborative work, focussing on a commitment to storytelling where form, material, and visual symbolism are the main characters.

Mao & Chris have received recognition through grants and awards from institutions including the Canada Council for the Arts and Calgary Arts Development. Their work has been exhibited across Canada and internationally.

grants & awards

• AFA Visual Arts and New Media Project Grant (2026)
• Canada Council Research and Creation Grant (2026) 
• Calgary Arts Development Project Grant (2025)
• Canada Council Research and Creation Grant (2024)
• Toronto Outdoor Art Fair 62 Ceramics Excellence Award (2023)
• DesignTO Jurors Choice Award (2023)

Notable Exhibitions & Public Art

• New Beginnings, Modern Eden Gallery, San Fransisco, California, USA (2026)
• Glazed and Confused, La Luz De Jesus Gallery, LA, California, USA (2026)
• Creating Our Calgary CADA Public Art Project, Calgary, AB, Canada (2025)
• CADA X Calgary Transit Art Bus Wraps, Calgary, AB, Canada (2025)
• 宴 | Found in Translation, DesignTO X Stackt Market, Toronto, ON, Canada (2023)
• Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Nathan Philips Square, Toronto, ON, Canada (2023)
• Design Lab, Strada Gallery, New York, NY, USA (2023)

Flaws to Forms

In 2025, during their Public Art for Sustainable Futures residency with Calgary Arts Development, Mao & Chris undertook research for their report "Flaws to Forms". Over the four month residency, they explored how broken and unsellable ceramics, typically viewed as waste, could be sustainably and creatively repurposed for both public and studio art. This research continues to inform their ceramics practice, resulting in an exploration of the intersections between historical and contemporary mosaics, and their role in highlighting sustainable material practices.

In addition to this research, their collaborative practice explores how cultures intersect and diverge through visual storytelling. Drawing from the deep wells of art and craft histories as well as their own cultural backgrounds, Mao & Chris examine the intricacies of cross-cultural communication. They engage with classical ceramic forms, ornamental elements, and popular culture, blending these references with a painterly application of glaze to create a visually layered narrative that is both personal and shared.

Looking Ahead

Mao & Chris are currently preparing for the MenLo Fall/Winter Residency, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, China. 

We look forward to supporting them as they continue to explore sustainable creative practices. Please join us in welcoming Mao & Chris to the TAD family.