Jiayun Chen is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice explores the poetics and humor found in mistranslations, investigating the aesthetics of failure in cross-cultural encounters. Having divided her time equally between China and America, Chen's work is distinctly influenced by her experience navigating these two cultures. Language is a vessel of communication that fascinates her deeply, which she explores through installation, ceramics, painting, and drawing. She is particularly intrigued by the nuances of mistranslations that arise in attempts to bridge these two worlds. Rather than seeing translation as a seamless process, she embraces the barriers and errors, viewing them as gateways to new linguistic and semiotic expressions.
In previous projects, she explored themes like Chinese character tattoos on Western bodies and misinterpreted English phrases on Asian apparel. Her solo exhibition Scattered All Over the Earth at USC Roski used mistranslation to critique language power dynamics and imagine communication beyond grammar. Her recent solo show tat skin slip tongue at Orlando furthers the concept of mistranslation, but with AI-generated images, emphasizing that while these images capture the appearance of both Chinese and Western scripts, they are inherently devoid of meaning.
Chen holds a BFA from California Institute of the Arts and an MFA from USC Roski School of Art and Design. Her work has been exhibited at galleries and art spaces such as Charlie James Gallery, Human Resources, Hong Museum, and FOCA (Fellows of Contemporary Art).
Contact: jiayunchen0701@gmail.com
Solo Shows:
callooh! callay! at 4C Gallery, Los Angeles 2025
tat skin slip tongue at Orlando, Los Angeles
2024
Scattered All Over the Earth at USC Roski Graduate Gallery, Los Angeles
2023
2020
Trophy and Feet at Mint Gallery in CalArts, Valencia 2019
Selected Group Shows:
2024
十一种床 at Hong Museum, Wenzhou ( in collrabation with Cuixi Lin and 方胆疼)
Sunrise to Sunset, organized by MOTOR, Liberty Park in Koreatown, Los Angeles
Minor Gaps Between at Human Resources Gallery, Los Angeles
2023
Fizzing Portals at LA Artcore, Los Angeles
Ahorita! at Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles
2023 Q2 at 4C Gallery, Los Angeles
Swept Away: Love Letter to A Surrogate at Santa Monica State Beach, Los Angeles
The Greater Los Angeles MFA exhibition Annual Art Exhibition at CSULB, Long Beach
Three at USC Roski Graduate Gallery in downtown, Los Angeles
In the depth of the mouth inhabits the light that takes shape at FOCA (Fellows of Contemporary Art), Los Angeles
2022
Art is in Bloom, LA Artcore’s summer silent auction
Open Studio at Roski School of Art and Design for Frieze Week
2021
同乡会 / 同鄉會 / Tong Xiang a / 동창회 / Reunion in Chinatown, Los Angeles
2020
BFA Show 2020, Serving the People
2019
Imagine Entertainment Exhibition in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
GOD IS…LOVE at Artbox Gallery, Shanghai
Press
跨越语言架构：陈佳韵谈语言、观念艺术和创作, 雅昌新闻
https://m-news.artron.net/20240218/n1129354.html
Meet Jiayun Chen, CanvasRebel
https://canvasrebel.com/meet-jiayun-chen/
展览回顾 | 4C Exhibition 2023Q2, Artron Art Index
https://amma.artron.net/observation_shownews.php?newid=1121579
Meet Mutidisplinary Artist Jiayun Chen, ShoutoutLA
https://shoutoutla.com/meet-jiayun-chen-multidisciplinary-artist/