No. 062
Chen Haoren
On the Brink of the Forest Marsh
60x60cm
Oil, acrylic, watercolor on canvas
2025
In this work, the artist blends oil, acrylic, and watercolor to place a white horse within the chaotic imagery of a forest swamp. The mottled textures of the thicket and the interlacing lines serve as metaphors for the complexity and disorder of the real world. The pure white horse is a spiritual projection of the artist. Its stance, standing still amidst the marshland, becomes a figurative expression of the artist's own confusion and hesitation within reality. In this chaotic environment, though unable to find a clear direction, the horse maintains its innate essence, revealing a profound yearning to break through adversity in search of freedom and hope.
About the Artist
Chen Haoran
（China，b.1994）
MFA in Oil Painting and Expression, Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts. Based in Tianjin and Beijing. He focuses on figures, animals, and plants in his paintings, using found images as a medium and employing techniques such as collage, monochromatic compositions, and identity substitution. Centered on the theme of “states of existence,” his works construct absurd yet mysterious scenes. Plants in his paintings symbolize the psychological pressures faced by contemporary people, while placing figures in dim and unfamiliar environments creates an atmosphere of mystery and absurdity. The works reflect young people’s exploration amid confusion, struggles in adversity, and entanglements in emotions, using metaphorical approaches to address social and developmental issues. His works have been exhibited at Tianjin Art Museum, Mingyuan Art Museum in Shanghai, and Qingdao Art Museum.