PencilDrawingArt

Using only pencil on paper or on wood that she shapes into three-dimensional objects, artist Hsin-Hsi Chen makes incredibly precise and vertiginous renderings of imaginary architectural spaces. With a sense of beguiling whimsy, these "settings" disorient the viewer with both actual and illustrated planes and recesses that alternate in a seemingly illogical sequence.

By executing incredibly large works—some are as tall as six feet—as well as by using shaped drawing surfaces and elements of installation, Chen's work is very accessible to viewers who tend at first to be stunned by her virtuosity and then charmed by her illusions.

Chen's highly tuned sense of craft and imagination has already gained her a respectable exhibition record in America, in addition to being awarded the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant. She continues to explore her artistic vision as well as bring new relevance to one of the most traditional mediums in the art field—drawing.