I observe and make object interventions in everyday living spaces. My work takes the form of video, publication and live interaction. Object intervention is a language of communication, different from words. I often feel that words are limited to describing emotions, and there are still many unknown feelings that arise from our encounters with ordinary daily situations. Objects contain stories and functions, while interventions reflect the wordless emotions. In my practice I explore how to choose specific objects and make the specific actions in specific everyday space to create a subtle and poetic dialogue.
Using the object as a means of expression, I found it in the ancient Chinese poem mythology Yixiang （意象） and the Japanese aesthetic philosophy of "Mono no aware " （物哀）and "Wabi-sabi " （侘寂）. These concepts involve using objects to express emotions or to experience emotions through objects. Growing up in a childhood that I lived with different foster families, the uncertainty heightened my sensitivity to reading the room and noticing the little things that changed around me. I found that my suppressed emotions could be expressed well in the Asian method of subtle expression, which led me to explore how individuals communicate through objects and how they shape our emotional experiences.
Kaixin Chen 陈开心
Born in Guangdong, China, 1989
Used to live and work in Shanghai
Now based in Amsterdam
happychenkx@gmail.com