Hello,
I'm Ce Chen, an artist and a researcher based in Cornwall, UK. My artistic practice traverses a diverse spectrum of media, ranges from graphic-based drawings to 3D installation.
My fascination with the Cornish landscape took root many years ago during my Bachelor's studies. I was drawn to the idea of how specific landscapes can shape identity and the symbolic potency they can possess. After completing MA Fine Art Painting at Camberwell, I moved to Cornwall to undertake Authorial Illustration at Falmouth, and further delve into the theoretical and methodological intricacies of a research topic I had proposed.
I am currently in the final year of my PhD research project at Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL. My research focuses on the Cornish landscape and identity from the unique perspective of an outsider, exploring these themes through the ethnographic lens.
I approach painting as an agent of provocation. Authorial illustration has introduced a multitude of possibilities for narrative visualization. Traditional elements such as words, themes, and compositions can be harnessed in unique ways to decisively influence the outcome. In the words of Gary Powell, it's about going "back to basics." I've immersed myself in these fundamental elements to provoke or invent questions. I play with linearity, definition, materiality, and the concept of time-space. I firmly believe that art, within its specific context, systematically challenges our perceptions - even if the context is idealised or needs to be fabricated. Practice can be tooled to challenge the stability of a system, 'like tossing a stone in a dead pond', stimulating response, generating reflection, catalysing new idea.
Education
2014 - 2017, University of Brighton, BA (Hons) Illustration
2019 - 2020, Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London, MA Fine Art Painting
2020 - 2021, Falmouth University, MA Illustration: Authorial Practice
2021 - on going, CCW, UAL, Research Programme PhD
Teaching Experience
2023 - 2025, Graduate teaching scheme, MA Drawing, MA Illustration, Camberwell College of Art
2022, Graduate teaching scheme, Graduate Diploma, Chelsea College of Arts
Exhibition & Commission Experience
2024.11, Right to Roam, Fish Factory, Penryn
2024.3, Illustration commission, contributed to Wassa Jesus
2023.11, Nostalgia for Rural Wonderland, Rosso Art Space, Shanghai
2023.9, Spirit of Cornwall, RCM, Truro
2022.7, Poly Summer Exhibition, Falmouth
2022.5 - 6, Off Grid, Newlyn Art Gallery, Penzance
2022.3, Meta?, HOAA, Milano; Melbourne
2022.2, Pathway, solo exhibition at Fish Factory, Penryn
2021.11, PerSpectra, Copeland Gallery, London
2021.10, Subject Matters, Lewisham Art House, London
2021.8, Ebb & Flow, Falmouth University Graduate Show, Falmouth
2021.6, Repair, Cornish Bank, Falmouth
2020.10, UAL Graduate Showcase, Online
2020.9, New Faces, Sprout Art, London
2018.11, work commissioned by Shanghai Xirui Co., Ltd.
2018.3, Una Mirada a Andalucía, Solo exhibition, Zuheros, Spain
2017.10-11, contributed to Oh Comely Magazine
2017.7, contributed to Average Art Magazine
2017.7, Two Folds, Bargehouse, London
2017.7, shortlisted in Royal Ulster Academy 136th Annual Exhibition
Revelant Experience
2022, Art on the Celtic Fringes 1880 - 1945, short course, University of Oxford
2022, Cambridge University Summer Programme
Contact
+44 0 7479 475 210
Ins: @cechenpaints