Dongyan Chen: Botanical Paradigm

Venue: INSTINC Space, 39 Keppel Rd, #03-10 Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Singapore 089065

Opening Reception: 27 November 2024 (Wed.) 5:30PM–8:30PM | Opening Reception RSVP Link

Exhibition Duration: 28 November to 13 December 2024 (Wed-Fri, 1PM-7PM. Sat- Sun, 1PM-6PM)

Artist Talk: 30 November 2024, 3PM-4PM at the venue | Artist Talk RSVP Link

Botanical Paradigm presents a series of imaginary plants that Chen developed during her three-month residency at INSTINC. The exhibition takes its title from the concept of a ‘paradigm’—a distinctive set of ideas or thought patterns that serve as a lens for observing and understanding the world. Through the paradigm of fictional botany, Chen seeks to challenge and reconsider conventional perceptions of nature and reality, conducting a dialogue that bridges the natural and the synthetic, the traditional and the technological.

Following the transformation of these imagined plant species across multiple media, from traditional techniques such as drawing, and embroidery to digital technologies like 3D animation and videography. The interplay between craftsmanship and contemporary digital practices serves as a metaphor for the evolving nature of thought, showing how our perspectives shift with technological advancements.

This exhibition is part of Chen's ongoing transmedia storytelling project, FACTORY, which

explores a transmedia storyworld centered on a fictional biological laboratory called ‘FACTORY’, that focused on the research of HANDS, EYES, PLANTS, and OBJECTS. In this evolving storyworld, FACTORY functions as both a research center and an archive for Chen's creative experiments, offering a space where scientific inquiry and artistic expression converge.