Silvia Sun
Sofa Friends
Mirrors.
Echoes.
Uncharted ways of living.
They are our friends.
Welcome to the OnTheSofa living room.
Meet our Sofa Friends,
And rediscover yourself.
Creative & Production by Dandan Ouyang
Photography by Mengchen Sun
Silvia Sun
Deputy Director, Don Gallery
In conversation with Silvia, her words land with quiet precision—calm, decisive, and cutting straight to the core. She graduated from Fudan University with a degree in Philosophy before earning her Master’s in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy from Goldsmiths, University of London. Her career spans both the art and financial sectors, having worked at a prominent private museum in Shanghai as well as in the securities division of an investment bank. Since joining Don Gallery, Silvia has been dedicated to forging a deep integration between art and the market, injecting a fresh, driving force into the gallery’s evolution through her professional lens and multifaceted background.
Q: Who is your favorite female artist? How does she move you?
A: Marlene Dumas. In 2022, I saw a major retrospective of her work at Palazzo Grassi in Venice, and it left a profound impact on me. She turns a sharp, perceptive eye toward marginalized communities, bravely confronting social taboos and highly sensitive issues. Her work doesn’t rely on dazzling colors or delicate brushwork. Instead, it powerfully captures human bewilderment, desire, and fear, constantly lingering on the boundary between reality and illusion. Her paintings are deeply unsettling, yet they strike right at the soul.
Q: You once left the art industry for finance, only to return. What draws you so strongly to this field?
A: What attracts me to the art world is the chance to meet people with truly extraordinary minds. And it’s not just the artists; many art professionals are equally brilliant and insightful. For instance, my relationships with Dandan and OnTheSofa began through art and blossomed into warm friendships. When you are immersed in this kind of environment, it’s so easy to be infected by the passion and creativity of those around you, which keeps your mind completely open and receptive. For me, this working atmosphere is the ultimate draw.
Q: What has been the greatest difficulty in your career progression, and how did you overcome it?
A: The biggest challenge is that contemporary art is still a relatively young and emerging field in China. Whether during my early days at the private museum or now at the gallery, I frequently encounter situations with no standard answers. There is limited precedent to draw from, so much of the time, we just have to feel our way across the river.
I imagine this is a dilemma every startup team faces. When confronted with this, I consciously adjust my mindset. I treat every attempt as an opportunity for trial, error, and learning, continuously accumulating experience and growing from there.
Q: What do you usually do on the sofa?
A: I love doing breathwork and meditation on the sofa! I’ve kept up with this routine for nearly a year now. Compared to sleep, meditation helps me restore my focus and elevate my energy levels much faster, bringing my mind and body back into perfect balance.
Silvia wears Sofa V-Neck Cashmere Sweater 'The Curator' Ink.