I-Shu Chen

As a Taiwanese artist, I am constantly confronting myself with my identity, not only artistically, culturally, but also politically, historically!

The conflict between Chinese and Taiwanese identity is obviously reflected in my work. Searching for boundary lines, defining territory, all of this develops visually in my “Fake Landscape” series.

The series "Fake Landscape" is being created (2020-2022) for a group exhibition at the Kaohsiung Art Museum in Taiwan in 2023.

'Fake Landscape' for the nomansland.academy project are exclusive and my first drawings on tracing paper.

"Fake Landscape" was directly translated from Chinese "假⼭⽔", pronunciation: jia san shie. The definition of "fake landscape" embodies an important part of Chinese garden art. People walk between fully planted and sometimes curious stones in the garden landscape. Such a landscape was then considered a symbol of the scholars who live in the cities but dream of an idyllic life.

In addition, the series was also inspired by Italian photographer Luigi Ghirri (1943-1992) through his famous amusement park series. Ghirri's photographs show humorous landscapes that exist between dream and reality.

Biography
1970 Born in Taipei, Taiwan
1989-1993 Faculty of Fine Arts, Tung Hai University Taichung
1998-2000 Academy of Fine Arts with Prof. M. Prachenski
2000-2004 Düsseldorf Art Academy with Prof. David Rabinowitch Master Student of Prof. David Rabinowitch Letter from the Academy

Exhibitions (selection)
1999 Darmstadt Secession, Darmstadt International Biennial New Watercolor, Kleinsassen
2002 Grafinnova, Vassa/ Finland City Gallery, Hilden
2003 Pavilion of the gallery breasts, Wuppertal
2004 The Mayor's Residence Arts Salon, Taipei Ke Yuan Gallery, Taichung Große Kunstausstellung NRW, Dusseldorf
2007 Regarding 2 - young art in Düsseldorf The Rhenish State Theater, Neuss 2008 Parcel for Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz national Museum of fine arts, Kyrgyz Republic
2009 Castle Ponitz, Ponitz Trend walls, Kunstraum Düsseldorf Silo Talks, University of Paderborn
2012 Mönter Gallery, Meerbusch
2015 Benefit auction Sotheby's, Semperdepot, Vienna Rodschenko Photography School, Moscow
2018 In the Name of God, WP8, Düsseldorf Back from Moscow, Kunstraum Düsseldorf
2019 City Hall Gallery Papenburg
2020 Green light, gallery Klaus bands Dusseldorf
2022 Still there RAUM _ fuer _ RAUM / RAUM für Kunst, Dusseldorf-Oberkassel

Awards & Scholarships
2001 Wilhelm Fabry Promotional Prize from the city of Hilden
2001 guest scholarship in the artists' village Schöppingen
2015 grant from the Moscow Museum of Multimedia

Selection of exemplary works

RAUM _ fuer _ RAUM Concept by Rainer Junghanns