Today we’d like to introduce you to Chen Peng.
Chen, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Chen Peng. I am an artist from Hsinchu, Taiwan, and currently teaching at Cleveland Institute of Art. Growing up, I’ve always been a good “regular” student at school – I was really good at math and biology. Although I’ve been taking drawing and calligraphy class during the weekend, and I loved it, I’ve never wanted to be an artist and thought making art was just my hobby. I wanted to be a scientist!
In high school, I was accepted to a prestigious program and attended biweekly biology workshop at a university. I had a lot of fun, but I started to question the meaning of killing so many animals for research purposes. I didn’t grow up with pets, nor was I ever considered to be an “animal lover,” but I just didn’t think those animals’ suffering was worth whatever I was being taught to do. This simple intuition-like inquiry completely changed the course of my life. I abandoned biology, and chose to major in philosophy for college, hence I had so many doubts and curiosity on what the meaning of life is.
After reading Australian Philosopher Peter Singer’s “Animal Libration”, I became a vegetarian in my freshman year and started designing posters, logo, and illustration for animal activist club and NGOs. I love the critical thinking aspect in philosophy, but I believe that the actual practice of one’s ethical belief is more meaningful. Meanwhile, I was still taking painting classes at night, and I realized that I love making something physical with my hands. A year after I got my degree in Philosophy from National Taiwan University, I decided to come to the US to study painting at Cleveland Institute of Art, and later on got my MFA in Painting from Boston University. The journey of becoming an artist has been winding. Looking back, it definitely started with my curiosity and compassion for others when I decided to move away from science and began “thinking too much.”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have been very lucky and am feeling grateful. I’ve had many opportunities to show my work in Taiwan and in the US, attended artist residencies, and received fellowships and grants. Most importantly, I’ve made so many good friends along the way — friends that encouraged me, accompanied me, and gave me so many invaluable advice when I felt stuck. I started making art seriously later than most artists, so I’m grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had. I knew that being an artist was going to be hard, especially when we are dependent on the world to “recognize” our talent and to be considered “successful.” So, I just tell myself not to worry about things I can’t control. I would say the biggest and constant struggle come from within. I’m always struggling with these questions: How to make a better painting? How to balance teaching and studio practice? How to make the work say what I really wanted to say?
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a painter, and I have been mostly working with oil paint on canvas but recently started to incorporate water-based medium more. My work is representational, and is inspired by personal experiences as an immigrant, delving into the disorienting sense of not knowing where home is.
I work in series, and one series could have a different style of painting from another. For example, “D-O-G, G-O-D” series (2022), is painted with wispy, thin layers of oil paint, with limited monochromatic color palette. Memorializing my first dog that passed away that year, my dog, Sasa, appeared as faint as a ghost, looking at the viewer from different weather conditions. In “Mountains at Night” series (2023), I made 20 paintings of Nordic mountains, exploring the connection between foreign landscape and the complexities of identity and belonging. I also started working with ceramic last year, using textures and marks that convey the essence of mountains, clouds, and the moon.
Something fun that I did last year:
In summer of 2023, LAND Studio invited me to create a Cafe Art Wall Mural – a rotating art space on Public Square located on the back side of the restaurant REBOL on the quadrant in front of the Terminal Tower. The digital mural I created, “There, There,” was my first public art piece (and the biggest)! I was so happy that I had a chance to showcase my work out in the public at this scale, which is very different from showing in a gallery. For this work, I tried to remember and reconnect with the mindset of painting as a child and painted two clouds in different style, where the “cute” cloud is consoling the “real” rainy cloud. I think of the sky as a refuge for the mind. It contains hopes, dreams, and memories. Floating in the middle of the sky, the clouds in my paintings become a portal to tenderness.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Be kind, generous, and supportive of fellow artists and friends. Also, be kind to animals.
Contact Info:
- Website: chenpengstudio.com
- Instagram: @chenpenguinn
- Other: https://www.land-studio.org/projects/there-there
Image Credits
Chen Peng
