Nuo Chen’s expressive paintings seek to find the spiritual in contemporary life. She condenses the three-dimensional experience of life onto a two-dimensional canvas through bright and abstract mark-making.
Examining urban life, she develops a visual language inspired by modern imagery—anime, billboards, traffic signals, and screens. Chen’s use of vibrant, contrasting colors evokes the energy of cityscapes, while her dynamic brushstrokes capture the rhythm of a world in motion, shaped by her experiences in London, Shanghai, and Hangzhou.
In her work, Chen is interested in the spiritual response to a world increasingly sped up by technology. How do we relate to the world around us in a meaningful way? Somewhere between a phone screen and a city street, her highly textural and saturated paintings emphasize the beauty we can find in the landscape.
“In a world dominated by materialism and information overload, my paintings explore the relationship between the individual and the spiritual.”
– Nuo Chen
Each section of the canvas is activated through her painting, creating a dynamic visual unity. Amid the effusion of color and shape, there is also balance—a certain serenity.
Ultimately, Chen offers a space for pause. Amid the flood of information, her paintings flow, allowing us to reconnect with a world bursting with light and warmth.
About the Artist
Nuo Chen is a London-based abstract painter, born and raised in Hanzhou, China. In 2023, Chen received a BA in Comprehensive Painting at the China Academy of Art. There, she received two first prizes and a second prize during her academic career, and received the Lin Fengmian Prize for creative work at graduation. In 2024, she received an MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art in London.
Recently, Chen has been exhibited by the Galleria Objets Group and IAG Exhibitions in London. She has also exhibited at the Suzhou Mincheng Museum in 2023, the 5th Comprehensive Art Biennale of Zhejiang Province, and the 2022 Zhejiang Provincial Art Exhibit in Anji.
Artworks
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Nuo Chen Aetherial Pulse (2024)
Oil on canvas(h) 20 x (w) 30 cm
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Nuo Chen Garden III (2024)
Oil and acrylic on canvas(h) 70 x (w) 50 cm
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Nuo Chen Garden VI (2024)
Oil on canvas(h) 70 x (w) 50 cm
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Nuo Chen Moon and Castle (2023)
Oil on canvas(h) 100 x (w) 50 cm
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Nuo Chen Summer (2024)
Oil on canvas(h) 160 x (w) 90 cm
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Nuo Chen Symphony (2024)
Oil on canvas(h) 200 x (w) 180 cm
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