Yanran Chen's Surreal Sculptures Merge Human and Machine
At just 20 years old, Chinese artist Yanran Chen, also known as Chloe Chen, crafts surreal sculptures that merge doll-like human characteristics with streamlined mechanical designs. Drawing inspiration from anime, science fiction, and avant-garde cinema, her creations delve into themes of identity and artificial consciousness. Chen is an alumna of the Rhode Island School of Design and Kyoto Seika University. Her 2024 work, "Nightmare Robot," showcases various faces emerging from a machine-like structure. In 2025, she presented the exhibition "Neon Dreamland" at Art Focus in Beijing, curated by Yuan Hong, as part of the Beijing Art Season. This showcase featured sculptures, paintings, and installations, including a sci-fi collaboration with anime label WaarWorld inspired by Liu Cixin's "The Supernova Era," running until July 6, 2025.
Key facts
- Yanran Chen is 20 years old.
- She uses the alias Chloe Chen.
- Her sculptures combine human features with mechanical forms.
- She studied at Rhode Island School of Design and Kyoto Seika University.
- "Nightmare Robot" (2024) has multiple faces on a machine body.
- Her 2025 exhibition "Neon Dreamland" was at Art Focus in Beijing.
- The exhibition was curated by Yuan Hong.
- It included a collaboration with WaarWorld based on Liu Cixin's novel.
- The show ran until July 6, 2025.
Entities
Artists
- Yanran Chen
- Chloe Chen
- Liu Cixin
Institutions
- Rhode Island School of Design
- Kyoto Seika University
- Art Focus
- Tang Contemporary Art
- WaarWorld
- Ocula
- My Modern Met
Locations
- Beijing
- China
- United States
- Japan