The Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art exhibition catalogue (APT2)

A clear line emerges from Chen Yan Yin's artistic creation that is marked by the emotion of a woman's existence. This trajectory runs from the physical dimension to the psychological realm, with each stimulus to the sensory organs registering a deep and lasting impact on the psyche. Chen Yan Yin's earlier works retain traces of traditional sculpture, as is evident in her 1990 series 'Box'. Such works mostly feature geometric boxes with smooth internal linings and sharply pointed external surfaces. These connote both sensitivity and tension, reflect conflict and pain arising from external stimuli and internal response, and convey a sense of shock and confrontation. In later works such as Box-5, impregnable ovum, the pointed cones are replaced by copper tubes, the sense of piercing pain metastasising into depressed and sulky agony. Witnessing the scene of an induced abortion, Chen Yan Yin felt that the plastic tubes did not only drain blood away, but also life, feeling and hope. Such tubes, symbolising the flow of life and feeling, have subsequently become the chief instrument of her creation. In Discrepancybetween one idea 1995 Chen Yan Yin uses such sensitive, fluid and amorphous materials as infusion bottles (with labels citing medical histories and prescriptions), infusion pipes, fresh roses and artificial vapour to replace the hard and heavy objects made from copper and wood. The roses, symbols of life and love, gradually wither with the passage of time. The infusion pipes convey 'love' to revive the withering flowers and send feedback, via the infusion bottles, on the flowers' physical pain and psychological trauma. Nevertheless, this interactive process is incapable of reversing the fate of the flowers. It also has side effects, making it impossible to achieve complete interpersonal understanding and communication, especially between men and women. The momentary interchange between the two sexes creates infinite misunderstanding and, hence, fantasy ... Chen Yan Yin often highlights a sense of yearning in her works, a yearning fraught with conflict and impulse and accompanied by pain and bewilder– ment resulting from passion. But the primary sensibility of Discrepancy between one idea is placid and self-reflective; underlying its seemingly sentimental narrative lurks a sober and deep self– analysis. In a subsequent series of 'documentary' works, the artist uses a telephone and a computer to print and lay out two dialogues on love which betray an antipathy to communication. Nonetheless, Chen Yan Yin's interpretation of feminine emotion is always tinged with a sense of fantasy about love. In Discrepancybetween one idea she employs artificial fog rich in fragrance to engulf the viewer in a moment of dazed perplexity, once again demonstrating her tendency to indulge in fantasy. Xu Hong,Curator,Shanghai Art Museum,Shanghai,China Discrepancy between one idea 1995 Installation comprising glass bottles, intravenous drips,cut flowers, water, sound, nylon thread, video monitors ART I s T s : EA s T A s I A I 61