Artist Talk, Dongyan Chen: Botanical Paradigm

Botanical Paradigms 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’. 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.

About Artist

Chen Dongyan is a multidisciplinary artist based in Singapore. Her practice is primarily based on video and installations, but also consists of various media such as drawing, writing, sculptures, and photography. Her current research is focusing on exploring narrative methodologies through storyworld with the mechanism of transmedia storytelling.

Chen received a Bachelor(Hons) of Fine Art (First Class) from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London in 2018, and Master of Arts Fine Arts (Distinction) from LASALLE College of the Arts Singapore in 2024. Part of her past exhibitions include Deja Vu at Freud Museum (London), Orphaned Memories and Pressure Drop at SomoS Arts House (Berlin), Across Pieces of Sky at Trocadero Art Space (Melbourne), Bidirectional Intervention at JinChuang Art Space, (Nanjing), and This is not a monster at Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore (Singapore). She is the recipient of Dr Winston Oh Postgraduate Study Grant and LASALLE MA Merit Award in 2023, Winston Oh Travelogue Award in 2024, and participated in Tropical Lab 2024. Chen is also a freelance videographer specialising in social videos for exhibitions, lifestyle, and events, she creates marketing and documentation videos for the Singapore Art Museum and LASALLE College of the Arts.