- FINE ARTS -
By Haoran Chen
This piece was created in my first year in New York, weaving my initial impressions of the city into the artwork. To me, the city appeared as a melting pot of all cultures, embodying the collective desires, memories, and hopes of its diverse population. Everyone who comes to this city is, in some way, influenced or changed by it, as if it were a liquid seeping into the lives of all it touches. I named the piece "Avoid Regularity," reflecting the city's extreme complexity and its rejection of all things orderly.
AVOID REGULARITY
切忌规整
Year：2022
Medium: fine point pens
Size: 17 x24 inch
THE CAT PERSON
This artwork is inspired by Soseki Natsume's "I Am a Cat," where the author adopts a cat's perspective to critique human complexity. It explores the idea that humans unnecessarily complicate life, illustrated through the simple act of eating an apple, which can be done in myriad complex ways. This act, potentially trivial in a cat's eyes, adds richness to human life, mirroring the novel's use of a cat's viewpoint to express human self-reflection. The piece embodies the fusion of human and cat into a singular 'cat person' character, echoing the novel's theme that animals, despite inherent reluctance, are willing to explore new opportunities. This artwork encapsulates the critique of human behaviors through the novel's unique perspective, highlighting the depth and intricacy of seemingly simple acts.
Year: 2021
Medium: fine point pens
Size: 17 x24 inch
BLOOMING COFFEE
The inspiration for this painting was derived from an afternoon spent observing a diverse array of pedestrians engaging in conversations at a café. Each unfamiliar face incessantly articulated their perspectives, representing a multitude of distinct individuals, each backed by an array of unique narratives. At that moment, these individuals converged and mingled within this shared space. In the artwork, the faces of the characters are amalgamated into the foam of the coffee cups, symbolizing the delicate and intricate nature of human interactions.
Year: 2021
Medium: Oil paints/Oil pastels
Size: 60 x 60 inch (oil on canvas)
CITY LIGHTS
This work consists of a series of three continuous paintings created on canvas, aiming to capture the same street at different times of day (sunrise, sunset, and night) through the use of color and stark contrasts of light and shadow. Through these paintings, I wish to showcase the shifting light and shadows of our surrounding environment, illustrating how the same street we walk every day can display entirely different energies at different times, as if the city itself breathes, sleeps, and awakens.
The Sunrise
Year: 2021
Medium：Oil Crayon on canvas
Size ：24‘’x31‘’
The Sunset
Year: 2021
Medium：Oil Crayon on canvas
Size ：24‘’x31‘’
The Night
Year: 2021
Medium：Oil Crayon on canvas
Size ：24‘’x31‘’
This artwork serves as a representation of the intricate dynamics between my subconscious and the concept of food, set against the backdrop of contemporary society's rigid definitions of "beauty." It explores the increasingly pathological and distorted connection I perceive between myself and food, a reflection of a broader issue that afflicts numerous individuals today, including anorexia, bulimia, body dysmorphia, and appearance-related anxieties. Through abstraction, this piece visually articulates the complexity of this relationship, offering a critique of societal pressures and their impact on personal well-being.
FOOD NERVE
Year: 2020
Medium：Acrylic & Oil Crayon on canvas
Size ：24‘’x31‘’
The Coherence
Inspired by James Ward Byrkit's film "Coherence," this artwork captures the moment a brilliant meteor streaks across the night sky, illuminating the clouds. It traverses the spaces between parallel universes, guiding the viewer on a cosmic voyage.
Year: 2020
Medium：Acrylic & Oil Crayon on canvas
Size 11’’x34’’