Hon Eui Chen

Award Winner - Art - Arts Advocacy Award 2021

From Thailand to New York. How did your life journey influence your art?

My work is very improvised, I don’t prepare by studying or sketching, this leaves me feeling afraid of ruining my piece. I go through several layers, each layer being different from the one before, but I still have to keep going and push myself to finish it always thinking and knowing when to stop.

How has COVID-19 affected your work, and how you think it has affected the art industry in general?

Well, it affected my day job, where we have to work remotely. I have always had a day job, so studio work is regularly done during my spare time. One thing I am grateful for is to have more time with my son. It’s been a challenge working and taking care of my son, but the time I get to spend with him is priceless. The art industry has been tremendously impacted in terms of sales. However, artists and galleries are using online platforms to showcase openings and news.

INTERVIEW: Grace E.G

PHOTO: Guillaume Gaudet @gjgaudet

Find the complete interview on Volume-Four

Sold out

Members read the full interview here

What is the inspiration behind inverted somnio?

The inverted Somnio series was inspired by my trip to Cambodia back in 2014. I wanted to create landscapes that were about the search for ‘home’ and the absence of ‘figures’.

Tell us about your very first art installation. How was the experience?

My very first art installation was of sewn rice grains on silk organza in the Chinese character of the word “rice. I think I had about 4-5 tapestries with sewn rice grains - all in different colors of rice - hung from the ceiling in a cafe located in Savannah, GA. It was my first experience with seeing how people move through space as they navigate around the tapestries. And their movements would move the silk organza tapestries just slightly.