Interview
Chang Chen-Yen (Ariel)
Chang Chen-Yen, an illustrator/visual artist based in Taiwan, currently operates her own art workshop, Ariel Studio.
Her art unfolds in sleek and chic aesthetics, along with themes revolving around women, botanics, birds and animals, presenting the wonder and beauty of graphic art. Chang is also committed to teaching art to adults. She believes that guiding more beginners into art will benefit the whole society with a broader and in-depth vision.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“As an illustrator from Taiwan, my mandarin name Chen-Yen, implies delicacy and joy.
It’s hard to trace back the specific timing when illustration became a lifelong inspiration for me. It was there, even at the beginning. It has grown with and in me, and formed my way, reaching out to the world.”
“This is the philosophy of my art classes:
In the increasingly wound-up modern society, stress seems an invisible burden for everyone, so finding a way to comfort our souls has become inevitable.
Art is everywhere, it knows how to place oneself on serendipity. Instead of possessing art by bidding or browsing, why not make art yourself?
The potential hidden in your heart is calling for its neverland. From time to time, art sets our true natures free, helps us dust off the trivia and pick up pure appreciation we once had.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“I realized how empowering illustration is when I started my career and had the privilege of knowing the diversity of the people around me.
Whether it’s illustration itself or encouraging people to pick up the brush, it boosts our potential and confidence in learning. Within this confidence, people have more courage and a positive mindset to tackle challenges on a daily basis. There’s no ‘I’ in ‘we’, and that’s how we evolve with the work in progress. Start from scratch, from those unnoticed details, and feel that beauty and self-worth in the art. This sums up my purpose for dedicating myself to art.”
Which current art world trends are you following?
“I’m more concerned with the real problems that people encounter in daily life. With the advances of technology and the Internet, people develop anxiety towards knowledge, experience existential crises, and thus lose the ability to slow down and introspect. Touching wet soil under sunlight is obviously different from playing Happy Farm on your phone.
Digital art can definitely complement and add a sleek touch to many illustrators’ works. But holding a brush in your hand, feeling its tip and texture on paper, seeing the shades of colors vary organically, this kind of authenticity is indispensable. The nimbus that digital art has been receiving secures fair protections for many artists, and it helps them expand their business models. But the core value of art has always been the spiritually positive influence on individuals, and the way to make it more accessible and relatable.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“Every time I start a new project, it’s important for me to have an efficient schedule and a goal-oriented mindset. Nothing means more to me than building a safe and orderly work environment to welcome the art, and basking in the unpredictable pleasure while making it.”
What process, materials, techniques, etc., do you use to create your artwork?
“I use color pencils and watercolors.”
What does your art mean to you?
“Illustration is my own language to the world. It is also how I root deeply within myself.”
What’s your favorite artwork and why?
“My favorite artwork is Stellar Axis (Lita Albuquerque, 2006).”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“There is an iconic competition in Taiwanese contemporary art. Each year, it discovers experimental and uprising new talents. I genuinely appreciate this project because it reveals varied subjects and expressions that the young artists in Taiwan focus on.”
