In the undulating studio. Photo by Michael Turner.

Sichen Grace Chen is an illustrator/painter, artist-researcher, educator, and a Chinese-Canadian settler on the unceded, traditional, and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations, also known as Vancouver. In her work, she is passionate about investigating the relationships of the Pacific Northwest through saturated colour and layered textures. In her large-scale paintings, she gesturally translates the experience of walking and bodily cycles with inspiration from local water bodies. Unlike the typical blue hue, her works explore water through warm palettes, evoking both the body's warmth and the realities of rising temperatures. Through this conceptual and material tension, she invites viewers to immerse themselves in the materiality of traditional art and in the relationship between the body and climate justice.

Chen holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and an MFA from Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU). Together with students, she offers a holistic curriculum that combines discovery-based learning and skill-building for all ages. She has received awards from American Illustration (AI-AP), Society of Illustrators (SOI), and Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles (SILA). Her works have been exhibited in galleries throughout British Columbia and across the United States. In addition, she is the co-founder and creative director of Atelier Aloera, a research-oriented climate collective and artist group based in BC.

︎Curriculum Vitae

︎ @esji_art

︎ Contact me for inquiries, collaborative projects or commissions: sichengrace[at]aloeraccs.ca