Jason Chen
Wayward, 2021
Hand-woven archival pigment print
25''x37"

About the work

The work I create is an exploration of my insecurities and the feeling of duality.
Two decades ago, I came to America as an immigrant. I adopted a new name for the convenience of the English speakers around me and so I would feel like less of an outsider.

For many years, I was willing to lose my identity to feel more included.
After studying Film and Animation in college, I began to reconnect with my past and try to understand my potential future. Although I can comfortably call this place my home, I still can't help but feel unwelcome during difficult times in our country. This feeling pushes me to create.

The artwork itself is cut and woven by hand. I believe a physical connection to the materials adds a layer of personality to the work, even if it has flaws. I use the weaving process to deconstruct and reconstruct images to create a sense of time and movement.

Sometimes I think that if I stand at just the right angle, I can gaze into the sliver between two parallel universes to see the distortion of time and motion. I imagine it much like a video glitch in-between frames.

Bio
Jason Chen is from Guangzhou, China. He is a published Photographer specializing in Fashion, Editorial, and Alternative Process Photography. After he received his BFA in Animation from the University of Arts in 2008, he Co-founded Paradigm Gallery + Studio and Juggling Wolf, an animation collective. In 2012, Jason shifted his dry plate tintypes practice to photo weaving. He began using two images taken within seconds of each other, then cut and wove them together. Because of his background in film and animation, Jason explores ways to incorporate the "Fourth Dimension" - Time - into his work. Photo weaving allows him to do this by exploring movement and mutation. His artwork has shown nationally and internationally. Jason is also an award-winning filmmaker. He is currently directing and editing a documentary film about a sculpture permanently acquired by The Navy Yard of Philadelphia.

www.thatchinesekid.com
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