Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yen Yen Chou. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Yen Yen, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

During my sophomore year at the University of Taipei, where I was majoring in Learning Materials Design, I had the opportunity to study at Southwestern Oklahoma State University as an exchange student for two semesters. It was there that I first learned about acrylic painting and painting on canvas. At the end of the semester, my painting professor encouraged me to consider applying for graduate school for fine art in New York. Although I had been drawing and making things since I was a kid, I had never seriously considered pursuing an artistic career until then. After traveling to New York and doing some research, I decided to apply for graduate school, which turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Yen Yen, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a Taiwanese artist currently living in Brooklyn, New York. I make acrylic paintings, watercolor drawings, and mixed media sculptures. Besides making and looking at art, I enjoy reading, listening to music and podcasts, and traveling. My work explores the themes of transformation and the intricate relationship between humans and nature. At the core of my art is a fascination with the notion that every entity possesses the potential for metamorphosis, offering the prospect of a new existence or significance. This dynamic nature not only gives me the creative freedom to reimagine the world around us but also serves as a reminder of the unpredictability of human lives. Drawing inspiration from everyday life, I incorporate motifs from both realms, such as raindrops, rainbows, flowers, and desserts and snacks, to create a whimsical and magical world. In my recent pieces, I am using a two-part epoxy clay to create relief surfaces on wooden panels, followed by gessoing, sanding, and acrylic painting. The therapeutic process of kneading the clay and shaping the surface allows my emotions and thoughts to become part of the work.

How I entered the industry: My transformative journey began during my two years at Pratt Institute, where I explored various mediums including silk screen printing, ceramics, woodworking, and metalworking. Additionally, I studied art history, art criticism, philosophy, and honed skills in writing artist statements, giving talks, and curating exhibitions. After earning my M.F.A. in painting and drawing, I started working as a studio assistant at Japanese artist Takashi Murakami’s studio. Since then, I have worked at several artist studios and art institutions in both New York and Taipei, Taiwan.

Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of participating in numerous group exhibitions at prestigious venues such as Dinner Gallery, iidrr Gallery, Fridman Gallery, Chinatown Soup, Prince Street Gallery, and Gallery Cubed in New York, NY, as well as Tchotchke Gallery and Tiger Strikes Asteroid in Brooklyn, NY. Additionally, I’ve co-curated art shows with colleagues at prominent events like the SPRING/BREAK Art Show NYC and Tutu Gallery in Brooklyn, NY. I am deeply grateful for the unwavering support of friends and colleagues who have accompanied me along this journey. In the future, I hope to expand my collaborative efforts by engaging with creatives from diverse backgrounds, including fashion, culinary, and design brands.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The first rewarding aspect of being an artist is the ability to express my thoughts, feelings, and perspective on the world through art. From having an idea, to sketching, shaping relief surfaces with clay, to painting, seeing the work from start to finish fills me with joy and satisfaction.

Secondly, I really enjoy connecting people together through curating exhibitions. For me, it’s important for artists to help each other, and I believe that through connecting people in art exhibitions or collaborations, it creates more potential opportunities to work together in the future.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Yes. For books, I recommend Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear. And for videos, I recommend artist Kelsey Rodriguez’s videos on YouTube. I find her videos about how to launch an art career and the business aspects of being an artist, specifically the one that shows her income streams very helpful.

Contact Info:

• Website: yenyenchou.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yenyenflamingooo/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yenyenchou/

Image Credits
Personal photo: Victor Castro