Born in 1978, Chen, Ching-Yao lives and work in Taipei where he earned his M.F.A from the Taipei National University of the Arts in 2006. As an artist, his interest lies in detecting shifts in global contemporary culture by creating composite photographic and collage imagery  that refer to Japanese history but are also imbued with the contemporary “Dojinshi” culture prank playing spirit of the modern generation. In his “Blossoming in the Backyard” photographic series begun in 2003, Chen Ching-Yao takes elements from Japanese soap operas and ancient costume dramas in which he plays the role of an imaginary cross-dressing geek in his “Backyard Flower Garden. In the more recent series “One Minute Ukiyoe Painting”, the artist reproduces the distorted features of Kabuki actors traditionally painted by famous Japanese by wearing a stocking over his face.

Chen Ching Yao’s work has been exhibited in various commercial and institutional venues in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and Korea.

Ching Yao’s residency at Location One is supported by the YageoTech-Art Fellowship through the Asian Cultural Council.

To view more of Chen’s work, see his Flickr PhotoStream