MadeIn Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new and recent works by artist Chen Ying on July 8, 2022. Curated by Yang Zi, this is Chen’s third presentation at MadeIn Gallery, after “Traceable” (2018, duo project) and “Reality & Regeneration” (2017). Occupying the entire gallery space, the current exhibition showcases his latest works and foregrounds his efforts to relate abstract painting to insights into digital technology, which amount to a brand new entry point for his practice.

Imbued with theatrical and supernatural qualities, Chen’s painting incorporates forces of creation, destruction, and transformation into interconnected tableaux. Composed of bright-coloured, two-dimensional plane shapes, the canvas shows the momentum to extend into the physical space of the viewer, serving as a testament to the artist’s self-assured handling of the picture.

What lies underneath Chen’s abstract painting is his observation of the conflict, and the ensuing tension, between painting and the increasing proliferation of hyper-industrial aesthetics. As he keenly notices, “a painting as it is and its digital rendering are not to be treated as the same”, and “one’s perception and judgment of a painting in a physical space-time is no longer applicable when it is digitally converted and disseminated.” Furthermore, the dominance of digital technology is squashing into the artist’s dominion over creation and exploration. For Chen, this is cause for concern, as is highlighted on his canvas: with seemingly accessible pictorial forms and a straightforward palette, he confronts classic painting techniques and brings out the timeliness and playfulness in his works.

Curator Yang Zi recognizes Chen Ying’s work as an open spirituality. “In Chen’s recent practice, spirituality is not the end of an arduous introspection or self-exploration, but the quintessence of social and material life,” Yang comments. “His creative approach that starts from simple material perception exudes an outward disposition, which triggers a resonance between the self and the era.” Chen realizes that it is no longer the result that matters in painting, not “to what extent a single work is completed”. Instead, his painting has been one with his action – that is, a never-ending action of reflecting on art history, on the so-called “smooth” zeitgeist, on the relation between humans and technology, as well as the action of making personal judgment. As the artist sees it, such action is a must for all contemporary art, painting included.