Chenyao He (Eva)
b. 2001, Shenzhen, China
Lives and studies in New York, US
My practices include but are not limited to sculpture, installation, moving images, performance, and mixed media.
My work often relates to the body as an individual form and entity with specific cultural contexts. Individual body, referring to the human body’s complexities, represents personal anxiety and fear associated with having a feminine body. On the other hand, Individual body reconstruction and repositioning imply a deliberate attempt to change their bodily form concerning the conflict of inviting and rejecting the idea of individual agency and autonomy. Then, the imposition of discipline by institutional power and other larger societal and systematic forces shapes our daily experiences in a manner that can be understood as an exercise of power by a larger, dominant entity over smaller, less powerful individuals.
Materiality in my practice is crucial in delving into bodily awareness and the contradictions in the binary of push and pull, invitations and rejections, and soft and rigid. To convey struggle and intense vulnerability, my sculptural strategy includes disproportionate scale, scenic setting, and stage costumes. Incorporating an absurdity factor into my practice is a deliberate effort to imbue my work with a playful incongruity. Simultaneously, I aim to engage the viewer in a poetic and contemplative watching experience, encouraging engagement with their surroundings and blurring the boundaries between the artwork and the space.
See you later.
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Solo Exhibitions:
2022 Yet to Come. Czong Insitute for Contemporary Art (CICA), Gimpo, South Korea
2020 I Only Have Myself. Zizai Space, Shenzhen, China
Group Exhibitions:
2023 Four, Rietveld Pavilion, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2023 Art Salon International D’Art Contemporain, PAKS Gallery, Paris Carrousel Du Louvre, Paris, France
2023 The End of the Year Show. The Cooper Union, New York City, United States
2023 Dusk at Hand. Group Performance. The Cooper Union, New York City, United States
2023 Late Night Breakfast, Attendance Required. The Cooper Union, New York City, United States
2023 LSP II Group show. The Cooper Union, New York City, United States
2023 Arte Laguna Prize 16th Edition: Finalist exhibition Arsenale of Venice https://artelagunaprize.com/16-edition-21-22/finalist-artist-21-22/
2022 The End of the Year Show. The Cooper Union, New York City, United States
2022 The 8th International Exhibition on New Media Art 2022, https://cicamuseum.com/the-8th-international-exhibition-on-new-media-art-2022/. Czong Insitute for Contemporary Art (CICA), Gimpo, South Korea
2022 Island of Light, NYUCSSA, New York City, United States
2021 Objet D’Art. https://www.theholyart.com/journal/objetdart . The Holy Art, London, United Kingdom
2021 Link: Future International Youth Design Exhibition of 2021, SIA, New York City, United States
2021 Icon. First Edition, https://boomergallery.net/previous-exhibitions. Boomer Gallery, London, United Kingdom
2021 Guyu Art show • The Closest Distance. Shuxintang, Shenzhen, China
2021 SIA Link: Future International Youth Design Exhibition of 2021, Shanghai BFC Bund Financial Center, Shanghai, China
Awards:
2023/24 Finalist of 18th edition Arte Laugna Prize, Exhibition at Arsenale Nord, Venice, Italy, 2024 https://artelagunaprize.com/finalist-artists-23-24/
2023 Forbes China Youth Artists 100 Competition Awards Excellent Artwork Award, Shenzhen, China
2021/22 Finalist of 16th Arte Laugna Prize, Exhibition at Arsenale Nord, Venice, Italy, 2023 https://artelagunaprize.com/16-edition-21-22/finalist-artist-21-22/
2021 Runner-up Prize Award. International Juried Art Competition “3rd Abstract”, 2021 Art Show International Gallery, Los Angeles, United States https://www.artshowinternational.com/winners-2021-abstract-3//
2021 Finalist Award. Art Show International’s competition “Portrait”, International Juried Art Competition, Art Show International Gallery, Los Angeles, United States
2021 Honorable Mention Award, International Juried Art Competition “Abstract”, 2021 Art Show International Gallery, Los Angeles, United States
2021/22 Young International Contest of Contemporary Art (YICCA), Art Association Aps MOHO, certified of participation, San Daniele del Friuli (Ud), Italy
2021-2025 Half Merit Scholarship. The Cooper Union, New York City, United States
Publication:
2023 CICA ART NOW 2023 https://www.CICA museum.com/CICA press/CICA-art-now-2023/
Education:
2025 The Cooper Union Advancement of Science and Art, New York, New York, United States
2023 Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
