aatei Chen Sands

aatei (ah-tay) is a poetic spelling of the Filipino word "ate" meaning elder sister and is a term of endearment as well as respect towards the women who have meaningfully touched your life. Chen is a British-Filipina abstract artist who celebrates friendship and sisterhood through abstract art under the brand aatei. aatei art explores the deep connections we have with our friends and the love we have towards the women who help, guide and inspire us. aatei was created as a response to the flood of support and love the artist received from the females in her life after being diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. Now almost 5 years in remission, she still finds herself unable to fully express in words the deep feelings of love and thankfulness she has for these women. During a year of recovery, unable to take on client work from her job as a photographer - the extended time alone allowed for new creative possibilities to flow and a release of these emotions onto paper through the process of mark-making and abstract work. With aatei, she continues her journey in mark-making, creating new work that will enable everyone to show love and thanks to the ‘aatei’ in their lives.