Qinyue Chen Turns Domestic Silence Into Drama

Qinyue Chen, an artist based in London who also goes by Shuyang, investigates themes of domesticity, memory, and emotional legacy through various mediums, including photography, painting, and mixed media. With a foundation in Chinese painting from the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou and further studies at Goldsmiths, Chen creates works that interrogate the trustworthiness of familial and home memories. Influenced by thinkers like Baudrillard and artists including Cindy Sherman and Barbara Kruger, she critiques the notion of photography as an objective truth. In her Artist's Wedding series, she juxtaposes Renaissance-inspired visuals with wood frames and mesh, creating a dynamic between revealing and hiding. Her paintings, such as The Vile Wind and Love Will Reburn from Ash, utilize translucent brushwork, silver leaf, and layered textures to explore themes of trauma and healing. Chen prioritizes the artistic process, allowing scratches, stains, and wiped marks to embody psychological experiences, presenting identity as fluid and influenced by migration and fragmented cultural memories. The article suggests that while Chen's most impactful works deepen emotional complexity through their materials, some pieces may risk becoming overly obscure.