Devon Chen's 'The Dog is Busy Having Hotel Breakfast' at All'Bout Clay Studio

At All'Bout Clay Studio in New York, Devon Chen's solo exhibition titled 'The Dog is Busy Having Hotel Breakfast' showcases ceramic installations that delve into daily rituals and subtle desires. The display includes boots, vases, vessels, a cage, a ladder, and a nearly life-sized dog sculpture, all contributing to a cave-like environment steeped in Taiwanese folk cosmology. With whimsical titles like 'Boots With Hungry Ghost' and 'Would You Share Your Mushroom, Little Dog?', the exhibition resembles a post-human fairy tale, intertwining plant and animal life. Chen's muted pastel greens and dusty roses, along with irregular shapes and glazed finishes, evoke a sense of primitive botanical awkwardness. The recurring dog theme reflects a continuous moment of consumption, frozen by the glaze's stillness. Weifan Mo (Michelle) reviews the show, linking it to Sianne Ngai's 'Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, Interesting,' portraying the works as a dynamic map of production and consumption in late capitalism. Chen, originally from Taipei and now based in New York, holds an MFA from Columbia University and a BFA from Shih Chien University. She has received the Andrew Fisher Fellowship.