I always have the feeling of not being understood. 

But there are always people want to tell me their secrets. They might think that I would understand how they feel. Well, there must be some misunderstanding, which I do not understand.

I don’t mean to make this exhibition to challenge the audience, see if they really understand my work. There are so many different ways to perceive and interpret an artwork.  Thus I would prefer to create some misunderstandings, shifting the context of the work beyond its surface. In other words, it is not just what it is. I am fascinated by these misunderstandings between communication and perception. Instead of giving answers, I would rather ask questions, to make it more poetic with the possible ambiguities.

Therefore in my work, fail portraits of people suffering from Insomnia with their eyes closed. The camera lens is blocked off by someone’s finger, but produces even more light. The photograph of snow is not just the snow, also the Italian opera is more than just opera. Wanted to be accepted and to be understood, I tell some secrets to my friend but only videotaped their facial expression without my speaking voice. All the punctums are missing in my photobook gutter, but the emotions are still there.

For many years I have been dealing with all sorts of things about communication and perception. I studied advertising and PR in college, learning how to use different media to communicate with consumers. Singing in a choir for 10 years, I share feelings with the audience and also with other singers on stage. For now I am an artist. I try to reveal myself, but at the same time have to think of how the audiences would perceive my work. We are not only making art for ourselves, after all. Now I suddenly realize why people always think that I would understand them.

Then again, I still hope someone could understand me.

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I-Hsuen Chen

Born and raised in Taiwan, Chen received an MFA in Photography from Pratt Institute in 2012. His work has been selected for the New York Photo Festival’s 2012 Invitational, his series Nowhere in Taiwan is in the Permanent Collections of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and he was chosen as one of Magenta Foundation’s Flash Forward Emerging Photographers 2012. He was the 2012 New York Photography Award Student Fine Art Category winner, and he also won Jen Bekman Gallery’s Blurb book prize and a Hey Hot Shot! Honorable Mention. 

Chen’s work has also been shown at hpgrp GALLERY NEW YORK, Foley Gallery, Ed. Varie Gallery, 25CPW Gallery, and ISE Foundation in New York. 

His artist book In Between is available to purchase at major independent bookstores including MoMA PS1, Printed Matter, McNally Jackson and ICP bookstore.

我常常覺得自己不被理解。

不過一直以來，身旁總有人找我訴說他們的心事，可能覺得我懂吧，這其中是不是有什麼誤會，我不太懂。

展覽的命題並不是要挑戰觀眾說，你們到底懂不懂，我也一直認為理解作品沒有一個標準答案，是能多重解讀的，於是在創作時偏好製造一連串的誤會，讓他們看起來不只是表面上那樣，這些在觀看與理解間所產生的各種誤解到甚至不解，都讓我著迷，與其大聲說出答案，不如提出問句 ，任由曖昧的多種可能性，勾勒出詭譎美好的詩性空間。

是故，在我的作品中，牆上的人閉著眼睛失眠，鏡頭被手擋著卻發出光；照片中的雪不只是雪，聽到的也不是義大利歌劇；想被理解於是對人自白，卻只拍下神情，聽不到聲音；書中照片的刺點也一律看不見，感受依舊存在。

想想，多年來我一直在處理關於理解和感受的種種：大學念的是廣告傳播，用各種媒介和消費者溝通；合唱團唱了十多年，習慣用聲音與聽眾交流，與團員交心；到現在成為創作者，要做自己，還要能理解觀者的感受，畢竟作品是要給人看的嘛。說到這裡似乎漸漸能理解，為什麼常常有人找我訴說，覺得我懂。

不過話又說回來，還是希望有人能懂我。

 

陳以軒

畢業於紐約普瑞特藝術學院，攻讀攝影藝術碩士學位，曾獲得紐約攝影獎學生組純藝術類冠軍，Jen Beckman 藝廊 HeyHotShot 攝影大賽優選獎與書籍獎（Blurb Book Prize），並獲選為加拿大Flash Forward 國際攝影藝術節之年度新銳攝影師。

陳以軒的作品現為休士頓美術館永久館藏，他的作品曾受邀於2012年紐約攝影節、hpgrp 紐約藝廊、Foley 藝廊、Ed. Varie 藝廊、25CPW 藝廊、The Camera Club of New York 、以及伊勢文化基金會 (ISE Cultural Foundation) 展出。

此次展出的創作書《In Between》 亦販售於紐約各大美術館與獨立書店，包括MoMA PS1、Printed Matter、McNally Jackson以及紐約國際攝影中心。

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若有手指 / Fingerclipes, 失眠 / Insomnia 
2013
Performance (planned and unexpected) with archival inkjet print

Nessun Dorma / 你是懂了嘛
2012
Performance, music sheet, and 2 channel HD video installation (color, sound)

In Between / 在中間
2013
Artist book, 4th Edition, limited to 100 copies

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「你是懂了嘛」 陳以軒個展 
「Nessun Dorma」 I-Hsuen Chen Solo Exhibition

Venue：關渡美術館  Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts
Date：12.27.2013 - 2.23.2014 
Opening Reception：12/27（Fri） 5-7pm 
Opera Performance：12/27（Fri） 6pm