CHEN x HO
Chen Wei-Ju, who collects and constructs her emotion museum on paper
Ho Pei-Lin, a friend in the marketing field who claims to know Chen's art well
Chen and Ho have been friends since high school. As Chen's constructs her inner world on papers, she rarely discusses her artwork with others, including Ho.
When Ho claimed to understand Chen's art well, I was initially skeptical. However, during our conversations, it became clear that Ho is an attentive friend who has connected her understanding of Chen as a person to her interpretations of Chen's art.
"I feel that she is more or less worried about what she chooses to do. She grasps this worry and wants to get rid of it through making art." Ho's warm-heartedness has situated in corners of our conversation.
#positive #escape #relationship #space #plant
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I can't live without people,
but at times,
I feel the overwhelming desire to escape from them.
- Chen Wei-Ju
Incubation
Chen Wei-Ju, Incubation,
Ink and paper, 138x64 cm, 2023
Tortuous
Chen Wei-Ju, Tortuous,
Ink and paper, 63x97 cm, 2023
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"CONVERSATIONS" BETWEEN CHEN AND HO
“Facing a winding and thorny road, as long as there is a light above one's head, everything will be fine.” - Ho Pei-Lin
AN ESCAPE
FROM REALITY,
A MUSEUM OF EMOTIONS
CHEN: "I consider art-making as a positive form of escape, allowing me to process and digest difficult emotions. As a forgetful person, recording my thoughts and emotions on paper is a way for me to confront them and gradually let go of negative feelings.”
HO: "I felt a sense of hesitation in her art. I sensed that she is more or less worried about what she chooses to do. She grasps this worry and wants to get rid of it through making art."
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PLANTS,
ANIMALS,
SPACES
INCUBATION
HO: "It seems to be a bit gloomy, as if you are anticipating something but also afraid of being hurt. It doesn't convey a sense of everything growing well. Instead, there is an uncertainty of not knowing what will be born and whether it will land safely."
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CHEN: "As you get to know someone better, you begin to notice the differences between yourself and that person. When you develop a closer relationship, you also come to understand how that person was raised, which ultimately shapes who they become...it is meant just to depict the situation—of how the environment and education can impact the final outcome."
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PLANTS,
ANIMALS,
SPACES
TORTUOUS
HO: "The expression of the staircase in this piece forms a sense of adventure. Although it is also tightly stacked, it feels like one can look up and see a beautiful light coming in, unlike the first one that leads nowhere."
CHEN: "In this version, I emphasized the obedience and assimilation of the tree...Those fake trees that are more rigid in shape and closer to artificial are also part of the set. It is a deliberate comparison with the tortuous figure, that has been bent and crooked. It shows the weirdness of the artificial ones abnormally appearing more natural."
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DESIGNED AMBIGUITY:
WATER
IN INCUBATION
CHEN: "Water is like a mirror that isolates me from another space. Because I cannot swim, I am afraid of diving in to explore that alternative space. This contradictory and strange feeling made me extraordinarily stubborn to the image of water. It carries a sense of the unknown that I find both attractive and intimidating."
HO: "I think it looks like a safety net that usually appears in buildings to protect things from falling down...I believe that if people can be a safety net for each other in pursuit of their goals, they will feel more secure."
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DESIGNED AMBIGUITY: PROTECTIVE SHIELD
IN TORTUOUS
CHEN: "At the beginning, I wanted to draw a cover that could shield this irregular plant that had been affected by the environment...I thought the shield will want to be an umbrella, and protect the tree. But as I continued, I felt that this form of protection was just one of the 'choices.' While the plant has chose to force itself into a distorted form, perhaps it does not need and does not want such thorough protection."
HO: “There are no shadows in the picture, so it should be halo appear behind the tree. It has enabled the focus on this black tree. I thought what is shining on the winding road. Is that hope?”
EXPECTATIONS?
INTERPRETATIONS?
CHEN: "I believe this kind of escape—wanting to hide, wanting to leave, but having to face everyone—is universal...If the viewer does not understand the reasons why I originally chose them, I think it is acceptable. I think the work can remain a vague space. Even if the viewer misunderstands the work, I still think that misunderstanding is interesting."
HO: "I don't think we need to worry too much about her. Her state of uneasiness and struggles mostly stem from her lack of confidence in herself. I recognize how outstanding Chen's work is, and everything will be fine at the moment of opening."
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© 2023 Jennifer Chen