2024 Fall Artist Residency Program
Artist-in-Residence

Born in Taichung, Taiwan, in 1985, Ying-ting Chen received her MFA from the Graduate Institute of Applied Arts at Tainan National University of the Arts.

Chen’s practice explores questions of existence and the self through what she describes as “fiber journeys.” Her creative impulse comes from the continuous flow of time in everyday life, in which she sees herself as a traveler. Moving through different times and places, she gathers, records, experiments, searches, and reflects, allowing these processes to become the starting points of her work.

Drawing from her own life experiences, Chen collects objects from daily life and focuses on the material qualities and memories of fiber. Through these objects, she traces memories of her past existence and her original emotional connection with fiber. Through long periods of handwork, she gradually accumulates and shapes a fuller image of the self, seeking to understand her place in the world and to become more aware of her encounters with the surrounding environment.

Her work Rust Objects, which received the Acquisition Award at Contemporary Textile Art Biennial CONTEXTILE 2016 in Portugal, was created through an open call for rusted iron objects carrying personal emotional significance. Each contributor wrote about the meaning of their object, which Chen then transformed through a process of material and emotional transfer. This project marked Chen’s first public open call and also led to the creation of her Facebook page, Rusted Objects.