Xinyu Chen

← Return to Colossal Wait: 2022 Senior Art Exhibition

 

 

I was born in China and grew up in the United States. In my work, I use various media, including drawing, printmaking, and photography, to investigate landscapes, architecture, and space. I seek inspiration in my surroundings: in beaches, forests, and parks. I am drawn to uncanny angles, and I discover views framed by buildings. Before visiting a new place, I often read descriptions online and imagine what the space will be like. After reaching the destination, the sites always appear different from how I imagined them.

I begin my process of documenting by noticing the details: the borders of buildings, shadows in interiors, harsh lines, and so forth. My work often depicts lines—horizontal or vertical, short or long, thin or thick. Some of these lines represent shadows, some create horizons, separating ocean and sky. I remember drawing thousands of abstract lines on the interior walls of my childhood home. These lines on the walls have transformed into marks in my artworks. I would not remember any of these places without my process of documenting; it recalls memories of the past. With time progressing, my interest in examining landscapes has slowly faded and is being taken over by my interest in architecture and interior spaces. Memories can fade away, but the documentation will remain. 

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