Projections

With Projections Teresa Chen presents a fascinating aesthetic interaction between writing and smooth skin. In her works, the artist reaches for a seductive amalgamation of enigmatic writing and sculptural body masses. As is characteristic of her work, she places the sensual beauty in a state of tension with the unfathomable, abysmal, repulsive, and transitory.

In her new work cycle, Teresa Chen shows the exposed body of a girl. On the body surface, she projects texts, which at first sight seem appealing on the soft skin. However, the pictures also contain something violent, such as tattoos, scribbles, texts hard to decipher; all inscribed on the child’s body. The black saturated letters cover the body parts extensively, while the finer, red-colored letters evoke/ remind of skin scars.

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In previous work cycles the artist used to put pictures of body parts almost compulsorily together. On the contrary, her fourteen “projections” are, though integrated in a series, single images. The body parts as such are not abstract parts of an image anymore. By reducing the abstraction level the artist strengthens the content of her works. This is also confirmed by the contrasting inclusion of three pictures of faded flowers, with which Chen stretches the arch of the exhibition from the beginning of life until its ending.

Ruth Littman, from the press release for Projections (select “Show Information”)

Works:

Projections

Withering