Zeyun Chen at Kunstschouw 2019

Two series by Zeyun Chen will be presented at the fair.


On series Previously Underground, 2018
What is value? This is a question that Zeyun is fascinated by and which forms the core of her Master's project. At first glance, you might not recognise the material she has used to create her objects. Could it be wood? Bone? Or is it a precious material such as coral, shell or ivory - materials that are worth treasuring? Her objects are, in fact, made of potato.
The potato is a very common, hardy vegetable with a verycolourful history. Originally from Peru, the potato was first introduced to Europeans by the Spanish and was not thought highly of until food shortages and famines forced the meat-loving citizens of England and France to turn to the food they had reserved for animals. With this, the potato saved lives and it is hard for us now to imagine how valuable the potato was to those suffering from famine. Most people today think potatoes are very ordinary; a common starch, only to be used to soak up the gravy from a delicious meal.
When these vegetables are hand carved and dehydrated, they become sturdy and tough. The sweet potato and taro vegetables come in bright shades of purple and orange, while the common baking potato givesa wonderfully delicate ivory. Zeyun became obsessed with potatoes and has created a collection celebrating its features and complex relationship to value.


On series Redefine Waste, 2018
By combining traditional craftsmanship with her understanding of design, Zeyun hopes to reconstruct waste and subvert the established common understanding of waste.
Zeyun finds that waste and artwork are just a fine line apart. By this collection Redefine Waste, she wishes to breakthrough this distinction. In the traditional sense, waste and artwork can be of great difference. Take Hong Kong for example, limited space and infinite waste has been such a difficult case.
The wastes used in this series are mainly household debris (e.g. used clothes, old newspaper, courier boxes, plastic bottles, takeaway bags from fast-food outlets). And for jewellery companies, much space and money are withheld by outdated designs. The power usage required for re-casting is also for their pains. For this collection, Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group is very generous to have donated 26 pieces of dated gold accessories for transformation. To Zeyun, there are many different ways she can do the transformation with low power usage, e.g. by hammering, cutting, riveting, and re-constructing the materials. In this Redefine Waste collection, every piece of work is made from collected waste materials.