All life breathes in their own unique way. Within that uniqueness is a signifier of resplendent vitality. The tubular structure present in this piece is akin to that of the medical profile of the lung, while the various fibers are idiosyncratically representative of respiratory pathways and channels. Lastly, the alternating perspectives and application of contrasting light sources show tribute to the vivacity of respiration.

 An ancient Chinese proverb states “To Live is Better Than to Die “ 好死不如赖活着”. Such a statement is representative of the ideology that quality of life does not supersede that of longevity of life in importance. However, the modern Chinese mentality has impressed higher standards onto the concept of life’s quality; clashing with the Chinese traditionalist definition of life, striving for a life that has meaning and where breaths flow effortlessly. 

 This series aims to invite all life to enter my breathing channel through the creation of a rhythmic, aesthetic, and vibrant breathing environment that inspires others to breathe freshly and effortlessly.

Collection Title: Breathe 01

Nowadays, people are deeply aware of the environmental community, but the concept of spiritual community is seldom mentioned.

The image of a burned and hollowed-out human face presented in the work, a split head, appears to be an abnormal human being, like a person who has gone astray with a stain and is no longer a complete human being.

I can see that people with stains are criticized and discarded by society and the times, all their wrong decisions and deviant thoughts, not accepted by the world, are treated as life stains, personal mistakes will undoubtedly bear the cost, but behind this, in addition to the wrongdoers themselves, whether the society should also reflect on the way to deal with the wrongdoers.

Imagine this, if you make a mistake, you will also become that broken person in the work. All the thoughts and actions we support nowadays will quietly affect other people in hidden corners, so what we support or oppose may affect others.

I wish people would take more time to examine right and wrong because what you say and do has some impact on the world in unseen places.

Sins

My Other World

I have always been lively, but at the same time, afraid of socializing. I am passionate about the world but often indifferent.

So I wanted to create a futuristic otherworld with oceans and seas and crisscrossing caves that can harbor many people like me.

The main body of the work consists of a human head, however, there are no arms or legs. In a place where people do not need to move around, there is no need for them to embrace. The human head has its eyes closed and hangs low, immersed in its own world, without the need for expressing happiness. The tube at the bottom is the very bridge for people in other worlds to draw nutrients and communicate their consciousness. Freedom and complete relaxation unattainable in the human world, can be easily enjoyed in this vast otherworld.

I hope to use this otherworldly place to house your soul and mine.

  

My Other World

Showcase for Metamorphosis 01/02/03 & Sanctuary

 showcase

Snakes shed their skins, crabs shed their shells, and butterflies break out of their cocoons. ...... I have seen life in nature, through pain, metamorphosize into something stronger.

  
What would it be like if human beings also underwent metamorphosis?

  
This work is hollow with the human head constructed in a way that is as thin as a cicada wing, light as a feather, as if it is a dried-up shell. Within the shape is a strong sense of brokenness, describing the metamorphosis of human beings in the process of shedding their shells. A sense of tearing, and experiencing a painful rebirth; a process that hides a crisis, is represented through this piece, expressing that the only way to get a stronger self is to cross this hurdle.

  
The purpose of this work is to encourage all those who are undergoing hardships and give them the strength they need to complete their self-transformation and self-healing by expressing that each person is unique, extraordinary and gorgeous.

Metamorphosis 03

As the world is pushed forward by increased efficiency and the economy, everything that is contrary to profit seems to be ignored and abandoned.

  
In recent years, countless old people have passed away silently, which inspired me to create this work. The human heads in the work are all images of old people, and every furrow on their faces tell the story of their days of hard-work, while the hot colors in the slit of the work represent their enthusiasm for life.

  
I hope this work will raise people's aware was of the elderly and the struggles they have gone through in their life. These are people who should not only have a monument to represent their lives , but are people who should also be remembered for their past.
  
  

Monument of Elders 02

As the world is pushed forward by increased efficiency and the economy, everything that is contrary to profit seems to be ignored and abandoned.

  
In recent years, countless old people have passed away silently, which inspired me to create this work. The human heads in the work are all images of old people, and every furrow on their faces tell the story of their days of hard-work, while the hot colors in the slit of the work represent their enthusiasm for life.

  
I hope this work will raise people's aware was of the elderly and the struggles they have gone through in their life. These are people who should not only have a monument to represent their lives , but are people who should also be remembered for their past.

  

Monument of Elders 01

Snakes shed their skins, crabs shed their shells, and butterflies break out of their cocoons. ...... I have seen life in nature, through pain, metamorphosize into something stronger.

What would it be like if human beings also underwent metamorphosis?

This work is hollow with the human head constructed in a way that is as thin as a cicada wing, light as a feather, as if it is a dried-up shell. Within the shape is a strong sense of brokenness, describing the metamorphosis of human beings in the process of shedding their shells. A sense of tearing, and experiencing a painful rebirth; a process that hides a crisis, is represented through this piece, expressing that the only way to get a stronger self is to cross this hurdle.

The purpose of this work is to encourage all those who are undergoing hardships and give them the strength they need to complete their self-transformation and self-healing by expressing that each person is unique, extraordinary and gorgeous. 

Metamorphosis 01 & 02 

Metamorphosis 02

Metamorphosis 01

Our sanctuary shift from the tendered womb of motherhood to the rigid architecture. We been through tepid and coldness who also enveloped by insecurity. People are constantly looking outward, for community, for the law, for any tangible weapon that will restore security.

Then question comes：In a world that is constantly changing, is it a safe channel for us to reach out to world and see the so called“ real and approachable world” ?

The subject of the creation is like an irregular and unbalanced architecture from virtual world. Forthwith，the slanted body seems to collapse . In an unpredictable world, what can be tempered is the inner strength and faith, which is the source of all the turbulent destruction.

Under sunlight and UV light, the in intwined icicles below the creation are quite visible, which is a force cannot be ignored to hold the structure. When dark coming and the icicles disappeared ，the suspended architecture in the air are unrecognized by the reality , but the most unshaken being usually the matters are unreal and unpredictable. 

The ages older, I feel every existence more out of control, and inward exploration is often ignored. The shortage of time disables my thinking. who I am? What do I want? This nihilistic answer is the facilitator for us to go beyond steadily amid the thorns.

SANCTUARY

In the history of the development of Chinese surnames, there was a phenomenon in which for a period of a thousand years, word “dead was removed from the characters that constituted surnames as its usage was considered unlucky. This reveals that within the Eastern tradition, death is considered a taboo topic of discussion. As to avoid explicitly saying the word “death”, other terms such as “pass away” and “crane immortal” became popularized in daily communication. 

At the center of this series of art are transparent faces, representative of deceased individuals lying peacefully. Each face is unique and is expressed through the rich details of each work, such as visualizing the bright starry sky of when they were alive or the ocean in their memories. Even in a dark environment without lights, each piece still possesses a luminous effect, as if the rhythm of their life has never left. 

In my work, death is conveyed in a bright, colorful and undisguised way with the hope of telling people that although death is cold, it does not mean it is the end. This piece hopes to show that there is nothing be afraid of when it comes to death, which is a necessary “stop” in life, and that only through facing death head-on can we value living the lives we have. 

Death 02

Death

From the times of old to the present, in eastern culture, weddings of matrimony have been referred to as “red weddings”, conversely, however, death has been historically referred to as a “white wedding”. In the case of white weddings, mourners partake in a grand ceremony as to celebrate the excess of life. In such ceremonies, there are songs and musical instruments paired along with tears and mourning. Through such a ceremony, the complex emotions that are associated with death are exemplified.

As to express this grand ceremony, I have combined the concept of “qi’ （器）or vessel that is present within traditional Chinese culture. The Chinese character “qi” is not solely representative of the word vessel, but can also be understood pictographically as the character for “cry” (ku 哭) while also having two characters for “mouth”  （kou 口）, which are representative of the emotions that are brought out through funerary services.

The main body of the work is a container for a dead life, while the transparent part of the piece is an abstract expression of the human face. The face is made of translucent material as in my opinion, it seems that after death, people no longer have any privacy to speak of their personal belongings, life experiences, and all of the words and deeds the said and performed throughout their life. Within this grand ceremony of nostalgia, the exchanging and discussion amongst friends and family digs a hole into the transparent face, scraping away some if not all of the privacy once enjoyed by the deceased, all of which is done with the intent of revealing a side of that person that may not have been known to others.

The appearance of the work changes under different types of light. Colorization will be altered based on the use of white light, violet light and night light, which allows for different interpretations of the multi-faceted emotions during the “last rites”; celebrating and mourning. Additionally, these shifts in color allow for interpretation of the multi-faceted nature of human beings, good and evil, sorrowful and jubilant, resulting in the composition of a symphony for the shortness of life.

This work, through oriental cultural symbols, hopes to provoke people to think about their lost lives while also honoring the souls of the eternally departed while maintaining respect for life.

Last Rites 02

From the times of old to the present, in eastern culture, weddings of matrimony have been referred to as “red weddings”, conversely, however, death has been historically referred to as a “white wedding”. In the case of white weddings, mourners partake in a grand ceremony as to celebrate the excess of life. In such ceremonies, there are songs and musical instruments paired along with tears and mourning. Through such a ceremony, the complex emotions that are associated with death are exemplified. 

As to express this grand ceremony, I have combined the concept of “qi’ （器）or vessel that is present within traditional Chinese culture. The Chinese character “qi” is not solely representative of the word vessel, but can also be understood pictographically as the character for “cry” (ku 哭) while also having two characters for “mouth”  （kou 口）, which are representative of the emotions that are brought out through funerary services. 

The main body of the work is a container for a dead life, while the transparent part of the piece is an abstract expression of the human face. The face is made of translucent material as in my opinion, it seems that after death, people no longer have any privacy to speak of their personal belongings, life experiences, and all of the words and deeds the said and performed throughout their life. Within this grand ceremony of nostalgia, the exchanging and discussion amongst friends and family digs a hole into the transparent face, scraping away some if not all of the privacy once enjoyed by the deceased, all of which is done with the intent of revealing a side of that person that may not have been known to others. 

The appearance of the work changes under different types of light. Colorization will be altered based on the use of white light, violet light and night light, which allows for different interpretations of the multi-faceted emotions during the “last rites”; celebrating and mourning. Additionally, these shifts in color allow for interpretation of the multi-faceted nature of human beings, good and evil, sorrowful and jubilant, resulting in the composition of a symphony for the shortness of life.

This work, through oriental cultural symbols, hopes to provoke people to think about their lost lives while also honoring the souls of the eternally departed while maintaining respect for life. 

Last Rites

Ethereal Mankind

It is incontrovertible that more and more things in this world have their own labels attached to them. Society judges gender based on the reproductive organs an individual is born rather than listening to the struggles of the individual. The warm colors in this piece are representative of vitality while the cold colors represent the concepts of cold and silence. Through my artistic creation, I hope to break through the color barrier, allowing it to be free while letting everything give play to imagination and possibility. 

Henceforth, in my work, the warm and cold colors are brought together to create something unique. When the UV light is turned on, the piece will appear blue; when turned off, the colors appear warmer. In addition to this unique color integration, there is a vibrant tree that has been integrated into the main section of the work as well as a glacier that is seen falling from the sky. This is done so in a way as to make the tree of life both entangle and co-exist with the broken boundaries of the glacier. It is my hope that this work can give people inspiration to break away from the “color barrier” and tear off the labels that have been applied through them through systemic oppression.

The Land of Symbiosis

The acceleration of urbanization has resulted in the abandonment of building that carry elements of strong history and culture. Such buildings with time have become dilapidated and covered with plants. When I viewed buildings like this firsthand, I was both shocked and filled with immense pity. Perhaps such ruins will gradually fade out of the public’s view, with them one day completely disappearing.

 At the top of this work is an “intentional person”, below the head is a forest made of fibers. The back of this piece is melted to the fibers using a mild steel mesh, much like the countless ruins that have been overgrown by forests. This piece serves to arouse people/s infinite reverie and allow them to imagine the story of what might have happened here. We must not forget the relics that have existed throughout human civilization or where we have come from. I hope that more forest ruins will be paid attention to and eventually reworked in a way that allows their story to continue on.

Forest Ruins

In the vast realm of the living, mainstream ideals have always dominated. Those who do not abide by typical mainstream ideology are often perceived as outsiders, and as a result are both subject to criticism and ostracized by society. In this work, we see the unusual Ms. Bobo, wearing glasses, uniquely styled clothing and an appearance that is quite different from the people we observe in reality. Ms. Bobo represents the minorities within our world. If you observe carefully, you will find that her body is sealed by the rock moss that underlies her body. Additionally, there is a rope that extends from the bottom of the ground connecting to her, yet despite this, Ms. Bobo is doing all she can to break free. 

 I often feel that I too am Ms. Bobo. It is my hope that through my works, people can begin to notice the actions of those who are not mainstream, and that not being mainstream does not make you ostracizable. Those who do not abide by mainstream ideological tendencies are deserving of both respect and tolerance. It is my hope that every style and voice can be accommodated by the world.  

Ms.Bobo

All life breathes in their own unique way. Within that uniqueness is a signifier of resplendent vitality. The tubular structure present in this piece is akin to that of the medical profile of the lung, while the various fibers are idiosyncratically representative of respiratory pathways and channels. Lastly, the alternating perspectives and application of contrasting light sources show tribute to the vivacity of respiration. 

 An ancient Chinese proverb states “To Live is Better Than to Die “ 好死不如赖活着”. Such a statement is representative of the ideology that quality of life does not supersede that of longevity of life in importance. However, the modern Chinese mentality has impressed higher standards onto the concept of life’s quality; clashing with the Chinese traditionalist definition of life, striving for a life that has meaning and where breaths flow effortlessly. 

 This series aims to invite all life to enter my breathing channel through the creation of a rhythmic, aesthetic, and vibrant breathing environment that inspires others to breathe freshly and effortlessly.

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Vinitte Chen