Claudia Chan Shaw

A vibrant, energetic woman of many talents  –  television and radio presenter, author, public speaker, fashion designer, curator, artist and collector.

Claudia Chan Shaw co-hosts the television series Antiques DownUnder, and was co-host of ABC TV’s popular program, Collectors. Her book Collectomania (2012) explores the fascinating world of collectors and their obsessions.

Claudia hosts and produces Arts Friday, Eastside Radio 89.7fm, featuring performing and visual arts, cultural events and engaging profile interviews. She is also a podcast host, expanding her reach into digital storytelling.

A sought-after keynote speaker, MC, panellist, convener and lecturer, Claudia’s presentations captivate audiences with topics ranging from collecting – highlighting everything from the priceless to the bizarre – to her deep expertise in fashion history, including the evolution of shoes, Chanel, Florence Broadhurst, and jewellery design. She also draws on her Australian-Chinese heritage to tell rich personal stories, from the Australian Gold Rush to Shanghai in the 1930s.

Claudia is an authority on Art Deco and Art Nouveau, frequently lecturing at the Art Gallery of NSW. She has delivered talks at premier venues including the State Library of NSW, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Sydney, Old Parliament House Canberra, Museum of Democracy, Tamworth Regional Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, S. H Ervin Gallery, Old Government House Parramatta, David Roche Foundation, The Johnston Collection; and has been a featured speaker at major festivals like the Sydney Writers’ Festival, Byron Bay Writers’ Festival and Sydney Antique Fair.

As an MC, Claudia’s impressive portfolio includes events such as the NSW Premier’s Multicultural Communications Awards, NSW Premier’s History Awards, the Business Leader’s Luncheon, the Pink Ribbon Diamond Gala as co-MC with Karl Stefanovic, multiple media launches of Chinese New Year for the City of Sydney, the launch of Asia on your Doorstep, HSBC Chinese New Year Celebrations in Canberra, and Ipac Securities Client Lifestyle roadshows with Paul Clitheroe. Claudia was facilitator of Australian Migration Stories at the National Library of Australia, and facilitator for View from the East for the Historical Novel Society.

Claudia earned her Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communication Design at Sydney College of the Arts. She is a former Regional Director of Fashion Group International Sydney and served on the board of the Fashion Industries of Australia (FIA). She is co-designer and director of the iconic Australian fashion label Vivian Chan Shaw, with the designs featured in the permanent collection of Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum.

An experienced cultural tour leader for The Art Gallery Society of NSW and Renaissance Tours, Claudia has curated and led immersive tours such as Art Deco to Art Now and Art Nouveau & The Belle Époque. Her journeys have taken art lovers to global destinations, including Miami, Cuba, New York, Paris, Shanghai, Prague and Brussels.

Claudia’s creative achievements extend to large-scale installations for the City of Sydney’s Chinese New Year Festival, where she served as the inaugural curator. Her artworks have been showcased in solo and group exhibitions, as well as prominent events like the Head On Photo Festival and GLOW Festival at HOTA.

Claudia has done more than 30 lectures for ADFAS (Australian Decorative & Fine Arts Society) around Australia.