Bio
Ming Chen is a Chinese American artist based in Los Angeles whose work explores the intersection of memory, time, and materiality. Inspired by everyday interactions, familial bonds, and natural landscapes, her practice merges contemporary and traditional techniques, integrating Chinese ink and watercolor with unconventional materials. Through the act of layering, mounting, and peeling away, her work reflects cycles of erasure and reconstruction, mirroring the delicate impermanence of life. Her art captures fleeting moments of daily life, transforming them into eternal snapshots imbued with tranquility and quiet beauty.
Ming has received an MFA degree from Claremont Graduate University. Her work has been exhibited in various juried exhibitions, including Soliloquy at The Scholart Selection in San Gabriel, CA, and the 19th Annual Greater Los Angeles MFA Exhibition. Her paintings have been collected in China, the USA, and Australia. In addition to her artistic practice, she is the founder of the Ming Chen Art Foundation, which supports local artists and art education.
Artist Statement
My work is rooted in the belief that fleeting moments, once captured, become eternal. I strive to preserve these often-overlooked fragments of daily life—memories of family, quiet interactions, and shifting landscapes—transforming them into lasting reflections on time, memory, and human connection.
The Re-Entry series embodies this philosophy, exploring how past and present intertwine. Using Chinese ink and watercolor on Xuan paper, canvas, and wood panel, I blend traditional and contemporary techniques through a process of layering, peeling, and reconstruction. Each layer carries a fragment of time, revealing the coexistence of presence and absence. This cyclical process mirrors the natural rhythm of life—moments built, erased, and reshaped—disrupting the linear perception of time.
I often incorporate discarded materials, such as color-washed paper towels, arranging them into abstract compositions with handmade flour paste. This practice symbolizes renewal and continuity, inviting introspection into the ephemeral nature of existence. Guided by intuition rather than premeditation, my work reflects a deep engagement with solitude, revealing meaning within the quiet simplicity of everyday life.
Through works such as “Micro Time”, “Time Passes, and the Passing Itself Becomes a Becoming”, and “Evidence of Love”, I revisit specific moments, inviting viewers to step into memories both personal and universal. In doing so, my art creates a space to contemplate transience, demonstrating that within each fleeting moment lies a quiet permanence, a timeless resonance waiting to be rediscovered.
