He grew up with dyslexia, painting is the only way he expresses himself to the outside. Multiple cultural identities bring him haze and discipline, but also make him constantly doing self-reflection and looking for personal space for proper expression. Skyler Chen’s works based on his own experiences, the situation when he face the social norms, presented deep connections of individual’s inner voices and intimate relationship.

Skyler Chen’s first solo exhibition “Elsewhere” is going to present works that he created over recent decade, outlined his growth development and living condition with fragments. Scrabbled up a protagonist in another dimension, a specific “him”.

He was born in a conservative Asian family. Started his journey from Taiwan, to the United States, to Southeast Asia to the Netherlands, he was spontaneously changing under various cultural backgrounds in different countries and areas. Physical migration along with his life alternation, and conflicts and fates of his faith, sexual identities, family lead him find the balance within social friction. When the artist peeled out of the conservative and traditional norms, his painting start to be bright instead of dark.

Situated in different language and culture background, would stimulate individuals’ sensitive sensation with surroundings. As for Skyler Chen, artist is like someone organizing the documents in the library, capable of recording life experiences. Bubble Milk Tea, Xiao Long Bun, clothing as suits and uniforms, western magazines… Those narrative objects remind audiences about his identity recognition and personal information, which set up a virtual reality that exist between reasonable and unreasonable.

Diversity and possibility of an object are constantly happening in the same universe. In front of solid and powerful public standards, individuals’ different voices are dissociative and suffocated. “Elsewhere”, is migration from reality squeezing, is exit from conflicts, moreover, is spirit of hope.