Shortly after my solo exhibition in 2011, Staggering Matter, I began a series of oil paintings. I find painting to be the most intimate artistic and creative outlet to express myself. To me, it is instinctive and transcends languages or words. I started with applying techniques similar to that of classics, with layers of painting, dying and covering. I did not emphasize on the figuration of “objects” I depicted, for they were never objects in the reality. My paintings are fragments of memories, relationships, or a sudden inspiration, which are much more personal rather than existing objects or photographs. Therefore, painting on smaller canvases becomes the most appropriate approach to me. Since the end of 2013, I began to reduce unnecessary embellishments, hoping to visually express my emotions more directly. Pieces of relative segments are reconstructed and combined in every scene. Elements and conditions in my paintings are not limited to a singular motif, but a continuous flow of ideas that guide me freely through the creatively process. With thin layers of oils, ideas pop out when I paint that produce images of a thick ambiguity.
Chen Ching-Yuan was born in Tainan, Taiwan, in 1984, and graduated from the Fine Arts program of Taipei National University of the Arts. Chen was awarded the “Outstanding Art Prize” from the Taipei National University of the Arts (2009) and the “Kaohsiung First Art Prize” from the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (2009). Notable exhibitions include: The LiQUiD STATE at VT Artsalon in Taipei, Taiwan (2009); STATE OF_Chen Ching-Yuan’s Solo Exhibition at Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture in Taipei, Taiwan (2010); Staggering Matter at TKG+ in Taipei, Taiwan (2011); People’s Republic of China-Republic without People at Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (2011) and Mona Lisa Made In Taiwan at Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (2013). International exhibitions include The 7th Busan International Video Festival in Busan, Korea (2010) and The First “CAFAM • Future” Exhibition at CAFA Art Museum in Beijing, China (2012). In 2013, Chen launched his latest project (flare-s) at TKG+ Projects in Taipei, Taiwan. Coming up next, Chen’s works will be on view at Asia Triennial Manchester 2014 in UK.