Nico Chen

BFA Solo Exhibition

Kresge Art Center | Gallery 114

Feb 19 – 23

Reception Feb 23 | 4 – 6pm 

My work is influenced by my everyday life and personal background. Themes of home, cats, and imaginative scenes populate the canvases. CAT, HOME, MY WORLD aims to show viewers the unique importance of cats in human life and the deep connection that exists between these animals and a sense of home. In the works, cats steal food from humans; they rest and play. Through texture and lighting effects, I emphasize the cat’s movements and expressions and the places they inhabit. These works not only embody my deep affection for felines but become a symbol of my longing for a warm home in a faraway land.

I am inspired by artists Vanessa Stockard and Mars Black, whose works resonates with me emotionally. I seek to infuse a similar sense of joy, playfulness, and simplicity in my paintings as Stockard. In Black’s work, he skillfully blends cats with nature, but the cats are always the main characters. Along with working with oil paint, I experiment with materials on the painting surface to add interest, dimension, and play. I cut and weld metal, add fake fur, spray paint the surface. I hope that through these works, viewers will not only feel my deep affection for cats, but also empathize with my homesickness and the experience of being in a foreign land.