We were lucky to catch up with YUANJIE CHEN recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi YUANJIE, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I believe the purpose is a personal treasure for different individuals. I love the question of how a purpose should be found. The purpose, for me, sounds more like the value. The purposes and values of most people are based on their stereotypes, typically money and fame. When I was a freshman in college, the earliest stage of my career, I super admired successful commercial artists because they enjoyed money and fame from their artworks. With my career growth and age, I have become aware that my art’s significance is more like an avenue of introspection and thinking. I no longer desire overnight success for the commercial point of my art. But I still believe a muse will come up in a split second.
I understand art plays different meanings for different artists. It could be a tool to make money, a career to gain fame, or a form to find themselves. I appreciate the variety to make the art world more enjoyable. But the process of finding my purpose is a big time, energy, and consciousness commitment. Please do not take it for granted and be affected too much by others.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Yuanjie Chen (b. 1999. Fuzhou) is a multidisciplinary artist from China based in New York City. Yuanjie’s works are mainly paintings and installations that explore the definition of warmth and love and share his emotional journey, which transited from a deep discussion of his original family’s problems and Chinese culture in his art practice in various materials. The shift comes from his incessant self-introspection. It gives him insight into how symbolism conveys his concept to his audience and the connection between red color and emotion. He finished his BFA Fine Arts program at Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts. He worked in SNAP, a non-profit art organization in Shanghai, from 2021-2022.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The first essential quality in my journey is introspection. Artists always resist their thoughts and perspectives in their careers. We are always self-confident, even if accepting others’ comments and feedback is hard. I also was a super pretentious artist to face some opposite sounds. However, with my career development and various knowledge instilled, I began to put myself in others’ shoes. Because my audience came to my studio and started conversing with me, I couldn’t be sure who they were. They might be other artistic professionals, dealers, gallerists, consultants, advisors, directors, critics, etc. They also might be experts in different fields.
Furthermore, it depends on different personalities that are expected to generate various thoughts. When I start to catalog feedback by roles, everything becomes reasonable and helpful. For example, I had studio visits with fantastic artists and critics. They usually give me feedback and suggestions regarding my forte and visual expression for my artwork. However, when I meet with gallerists or directors, they intend to provide some thoughts about the capital market and the mainstream of my art. Sometimes, the feedback is the opposite of my thoughts, even if they could conflict. In this case, I will calm down to consider the differences between their thoughts and mine. And why did they say that? Instead of being up in arms against them to persist all the time. Sometimes, a giant project comes from teamwork. Even artists could be their own brand and charge every aspect. But I believe that being inclusive of different thoughts will be helpful for our practices and careers.
Desire of expression. It is more about an impulse I have to do. Thinking and introspecting are my mannerisms. That is my healing way for my sensitivity. The visual form of piling brushstrokes, sculpting clay, and transforming plentiful materials is just a behavior to outlet and prop up the process of thinking. I enjoy the process of creating so much that when I stop, I feel rusty with all the sentiment in my body. This was the pivotal moment and reason who whispered in my ear to tell me that art life was a part of my life.
Love and responsibility. I believed doing art was a selfish job before I was ready to be a professional artist. When I created a really integral artwork and hung it on the wall in a white cube to show, I found the labor of creating is exactly love and responsibility. The responsibility is that I need to work hard to find ways to express my philosophy and make the audience think about it. And that motivation is love. It is a giving and selfless sharing. The timing of wanting to pursue a creative path professionally is being ready to show the result of my thoughts and art.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
The art career has always been challenging for every artist. As a Chinese artist taking an MFA program in the U.S., the biggest struggle is that the surroundings of this journey have considerably changed, such as lifestyle, art vibe, culture, language, etc. When I was here in my first year, I forced myself to adapt to all aspects of this new environment. It is challenging for newcomers to be in a new lifestyle, even a new professional vibe. However, with the constant adaption of everything, it is a hard-won opportunity to give me more perspective to think about my life and art. When I made friends with new people, saw new scenes, and heard new ideas, I became aware that this world could have more possibilities. Although leaving my comfort zone is hard and lonely, this is a fantastic opportunity to develop my art career. At present, I am almost accustomed to being here. I had my community, and it has functioned. I will keep pursuing my values with every small step.
Contact Info:
- Website: yuanjieyj.com
- Instagram: @yuanjie_yj
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YuanjieyjART
Image Credits
The pictures come from Yuanjie Chen’s new art series, “A Journey of Celebrate and Seek.” https://www.yuanjieyj.com/ajourneytocelebrateandseek
