About Me
Hi, I'm Ariel Chu.
Born in Taiwan and currently based in Hong Kong, I am a self-taught artist devotes past 7 years creating original artwork around topic of the sea and connection of human with nature, using arts and creativity to express adventure, life, spirituality, emotions, and dreams. The art techniques include acrylic, watercolor paintings, diorama art, video editing, and cultural products. I have exhibitions across Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, the Phillipines etc.).
I've always been a passionate PADI certified rescue scuba diver (over 100+ dives) and ocean advocate. I also had a corporate life for 8 years of experiences in multiple international banks and management consulting firms. I recently quit and plan to devote my passion full time to ocean. Stay tuned on my journey!
DeLaMer
"DeLaMer" in French means "of the ocean". We hope through "S E A , P A I N T , S U S T A I N" to connect human being and nature life. Everyone can tell their stories and express personal experiences and emotions.
I founded DeLaMer in 2024 in Hong Kong. DeLaMer combines art, love for the sea, and environmental protection, with the mission to illuminate and inspire people the wonder of the blue ocean by art. The art includes acrylic paintings, watercolor paintings, installation art, video editing, and cultural products. It also provides services such as creative workshops, commercial collaboration, and commission art. This is not only a brand, but also the starting point of awakening the love of freedom and the longing for the unknown. DeLaMer encourages individuals to push their limits, embrace the natural world, and unlock the infinite possibilities within themselves through art.
I believe that creation is like diving, a journey of dialogue with the unknown. I hope to bring not only an experience of beauty, but also a spirit of exploration and yearning for freedom. I hope my work can be like a window, allowing you to see more possibilities in the world and re-examine those beautiful moments in life that have been overlooked. Whether through images, stories, or other forms, these can accompany you at some point in your life. Perhaps an illustration will remind you of a journey, or you can find yourself in your daily life, or feel the thrill of discovering a new world. These small resonances are the original intention of my creation.
Calling Of The Blue
In the past, I never thought that the ocean would become a part of my life.The day of my first diving in Bohol, Philippines in 2018, it was a door to the unknown world - quiet, vast, full of unknown life, and colors and light was a silent dialogue. The magic of the ocean allows me to transcend the boundaries of daily life and enter another world, encounter landscapes and ideas that I have never seen before, driven by curiosity and pursue the limits. Just as a good book can penetrate the soul, the ocean has taught me how to feel the depth and breadth of life. This is how my creation began. Every illustration and every picture is born from these moments - the warmth of the sun penetrating the water when diving, or the mysterious vitality under the quiet night sky.
Start of The Journey
In 2019, I was browsing in a bookstore in Causeway Bay. There was a book, called Psychotherapy from Carl Jung, that caught my attention. I brought it home and started to read. The content was very profound, primitive, spiritual, and abstruse, which was fascinating and mind-blowing, at least for me. I was lucky to travel a lot during my adolescence for different opportunities and lived in different countries in the outer world. But when I found this book. it was the start of this journey to my inner world, both consciousness and subconscious.
In the period of Carl Jung (1920s), psychology was very experimental and clinical. There were many experiments to approach psychotherapy, including interpretation of dreams, counselling therapy, and "art therapy". He explained that art is not only meditating and relaxing, but provide a contained ritualistic space for detailed expression and reflection. He used creation to develop a dialogue between his mind and himself, and taps into an unconscious collective that can point toward inner wholeness, thought and spirituality.
And yes, that's why I started painting. I was curious and eager to explore the connection of my mind and inner self.
Past Events and Community Engagement
