Yuanjie Chen
[New York, United States]
Art Yourself Atelier is pleased to present 'Ritual', a distinctive online solo exhibition showcasing the profound artistic innovation of Yuanjie Chen, an ascending Chinese artist based in NYC.
Artist's Biography
Yuanjie Chen is a multidisciplinary artist, based in New York New York. At present, I am making sculptures andinstallations mainly. I used to focus on oil paintings. Paraffin wax, concrete, ready-made material andacrylic appears in my art mainly. The family, self-consciousness, culture is the major subject in my art. Therelationship between material and space shocked me a lot. And I focused on language fromdifferent materials. It likes a brilliant monologue and dialogue. The vocabulary and conjuring-up keywords frompeople’s stereotype. In my opinion, my work is to seek for collision, resonance, understatement frommaterials. Through it, I will express my emotion and conception much more to audience.
About the Solo Exhibition
This solo exhibition, featuring a curated selection of six artworks:
《Home》· 2022
This series of works explores the inevitable and insoluble dilemma of wanting to be part of a family while at the same time wanting to be free from it. The conversation that Yuanjie hopes to achieve in this work is to engage the viewer in the complexities of familial relationships and emotions.
《Sacrifice》· 2022
This body of work, made out of wax and cement, features a sacrificial altar made out of melted wax and several cement panels with wax embedded in them. This series explores themes of transformation and change, and serves as a metaphor for Yuanjie's personal and societal sacrifice.
《Sentimental》· 2022
The artwork that holds the most significance for Yuanjie is this one. After completing Sacrifice and Home, Chen felt constrained by self-imposed limitations in artistic expression, which may not have been entirely negative but nonetheless prompted Chen to explore more unconventional means of conveying intense emotions such as sadness and sentimentality. The act of striking and slashing a wall with a hammer and handsaw conveys an overwhelming sense of melancholy and homesickness. With this work, Chen invites the viewer to participate in the experience.
《Archipelago》· 2022
The keywords that Yuanjie thinks about are "repair" and "break". This work is comprised of several cement segments. The process involves breaking a large chunk of cement into pieces and attempting to reassemble them using red yarn and wax. The process of destruction and construction reflects the tensions between collectivism and individualism within families, while the dripping and fastening convey a range of emotions.
《Labyrinth》· 2022
This is Yuanjie's most recent work, which was originally a rug that Chen had in the apartment. This rug, with its dynamic texture resembling annual rings, caught Chen's attention. It was something Chen wanted to use. When Chen brought it to the studio, it was hung like an aboriginal banner. Chen then added contemporary and enigmatic patterns. The main philosophy behind this piece lies in the collision of cultures and lineages. The contrast between yarn lines and paint strokes, as well as the interplay between rug texture and wax application, reflect a meticulous personality. And yet, Chen's process embodies conflicting chaos.
《Nueron》· 2022
This piece reflects Yuanjie's impulse to explore the self-consciousness that drives chaotic logic and thoughts. The blurring figurative neutron and melting wax represent a return to the origin of self-consciousness, highlighting the inter-connection of everything.
His Art Exhibition Experience
2018 · Shanghai, China
《The Beginning of Abstract》, Songjiang Art Museum
(The exhibition focus on Paintings mainly.)
2018 · Shanghai, China
《Multi-Dimensional Adventure》, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts
(The exhibition focus on Installations mainly.)
His Professional Experience
2021-Now · Shanghai, China
Art Assistant, Art Brand, Swet-Shop
2021-2022 · Shanghai, China
Member of curatorial team, non-profit art institute, SNAP
His Instructional Experience
2019 · Shanghai, China
Artist Assistant, artist Studio, Fetish Design Studio
2018-2019 · Shanghai, China
Instructor, A profit painting-training school, Beiruoxuan institute of painting training
2017-2018 · Fuzhou, China
Instructor, A profit painting-training school, Fuzhou Qinqing institute of painting training
His Study Experience
2022-Now · New York, United States
School of Visual Arts, Master of Fine Arts
2017-2021 · Shanghai, China
Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts