Chen Ziwei is a visual artist from Singapore. She graduated from Goldsmiths College, London, United Kingdom, in 2013 where she did a BA Fine Art and History of Art. Earlier, she did her first undergraduate studies in Geography at the National University of Singapore from 2007-10.
Ziwei’s practice concerns itself with aspects of the everyday that tend to be overlooked, but are vital in fostering our sense of belonging to places. Intrigued by how we grow and forge attachments to places, she often examines her observations and/or encounters she has had in places she dwells in or frequents. Her works commonly express the essence of her spatial experiences in an intimate manner.
Ideas of place making encountered in her undergraduate studies in Geography have greatly shaped her curiosities around how the identity of a place is grown through our engagements with it. She works mostly in the mediums of drawing, painting and sculptural installation, and has exhibited both locally and overseas.
For her residency period in Arts Itoya, Ziwei is interested in examining how the identity of Takeo as a historical hot spring (onsen) town has prevailed (since 1300 years ago) and how it has shaped the way of life of its people.
To begin, she intends to visit the Takeo Onsen Tower Gate designed by Kingo Tatsuno, which stands as the symbol of the town. She would like to understand the significance of the architecture that grounds the identity of the town and how Tatsuno has articulated it through his design. Thereafter, she would want to visit the public bath houses of the town in hopes to find out whether visiting the onsen has become a practice for most locals and if so, why is it important for them to do so?
Title: Early one morning
Year: 2018
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 48″ x 36″
Title: Just another day
Year 2018
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 3 x 48″ x 36″