Chen Ching-Yuan’s work draws on classical modes of painting, such as still life, to reflect on time, space and identity. At the biennial, the artist is presenting a selection of twelve paintings from the series The Brick and Timber (2020–2021). Produced amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the series invites viewers to consider not only what collapses, but what continues in the wake of disruption. The micro-series The Blocks, where bricks are arranged into modest architectures of resistance, is inspired by impromptu roadblock devices used in social protests, emerging from the artist’s reflection on protest architecture – specifically, the makeshift barricades assembled from brick, wood and debris in moments of spontaneous protest. Others, such as The Limbs, reflect on resistance, destruction and versatility by portraying the severed fragments of tree trunks in states of recombination.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Chen Ching-Yuan (b. 1984, Tainan) lives and works in Taipei. His artistic practice takes as its starting point the idea of painting as a mode of perception, portraying fragmented experiences and complex, tension-filled scenes from contemporary society. His work frequently explores the intersections of personal and collective memory, uncovering the subtle emotions and sense of unease that lie beneath the surface of the everyday. Chen’s solo exhibitions include Night Walking Square, Mor Charpentier, Bogota (2025); PAGES (2021–20), TKG+, Taipei (2021); The Brick and Timber, White Cube, Online Viewing Room (2021); Card Stunt, Mor Charpentier, Paris (2019). He has participated in group exhibitions internationally, including the13th Taipei Biennial, Taipei Fine Arts Museum (2023); the 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane (2015); 3rd Asia Triennial Manchester (2014).
EXHIBITED WORKS
Series:
Chen Ching-Yuan (b. 1984)
The Brick and Timber, 2020–2021
Oil on canvas
Courtesy of the artist and TKG+
Left to right:
Chen Ching-Yuan (b. 1984)
The Limbs: Measure II, 2021
Oil on canvas
65 × 53 cm
Chen Ching-Yuan (b. 1984)
Dangling Man, 2021
Oil on canvas
60 × 49.5 cm
Chen Ching-Yuan (b. 1984)
The Limbs: Measure I, 2021
Oil on canvas
91 × 72.5 cm
Chen Ching-Yuan (b. 1984)
The Blocks IX, 2021
Oil on canvas
33 × 24 cm
Chen Ching-Yuan (b. 1984)
The Blocks VI, 2021
Oil on canvas
24 × 33 cm
Chen Ching-Yuan (b. 1984)
The Blocks X, 2021
Oil on canvas
31 × 27 cm
Chen Ching-Yuan (b. 1984)
The Blocks XI, 2021
Oil on canvas
32.5 × 20.5 cm
Chen Ching-Yuan (b. 1984)
Triptych III: The Descent, 2021
Oil on canvas
80 × 100 cm
Chen Ching-Yuan (b. 1984)
The Limbs: Divide III, 2021
Oil on canvas
65 × 53 cm
Chen Ching-Yuan (b. 1984)
The Blocks XV, 2021
Oil on canvas
24 × 33 cm
Chen Ching-Yuan (b. 1984)
The Limbs: Divide I, 2021
Oil on canvas
60 × 49.5 cm
Chen Ching-Yuan (b. 1984)
Triptych II: The Infection, 2021
Oil on canvas
80 × 100 cm
