Amy Ken Chen (b. 1993, UK) is a London-based artist of South Chinese descent, whose practice spans across drawing, painting, writing, new media and installation.
In their research, Amy Ken Chen investigates health anxiety, fetishisation of technology, abjection, and modes of self-annihilation, engaging with the writings of Umberto Eco and Slajov Žižek.
t̶̐̌͜ḫ̶͗̍e̶̜͝ ̷̘͍̏͌ģ̷̧̍͌r̸̦̈́ỏ̷̫̚ū̷̞n̶̟͒d̶̗̊́ ̶̡̉ṡ̵͎w̴̛̘̼̆a̶̘̐̒ĺ̶̦͝l̸͚̏͝ó̶̲̟w̸̬͌̎ë̶̥̜d̸̹̅ ̷͎̋̃m̸̡͑́e̸̩͑͘ ̸͐͒ͅw̵̨̆ĥ̶ͅo̸̺̿͊l̵̗̐͐ȇ̵̳̚ ̶͈̖̍̽å̷̞̈́͜n̵̛͓̼̒d̷̡͇͋ ̵̤́Í̵̺̃ ̵̳̍͐l̴̥̬͒̎i̴͍̍͘k̷̗̕͝ẻ̴̩̾ͅd̴͍͇͗̈ ̵̛͈̦̄i̴͎͗t̴̢͐͊
Thinking about sex-death tension, catharsis, the beckoning for a reset.
Self-annihilation invites metamorphosis
Death drive, the instinct for self-destruction and aggression, offers the potential for subversion. It is a disruptive force that unveils the repressive nature of the symbolic order and opens up possibilities for social transformation.
Our drive for annihilation extends to objects and interfaces. I speak of the nature of annihilation not as an absence of life-tension, or in the Buddhist striving for annihilation – to find eternal peace. Rather, the opposite. Death drive is the dimension of the undead, in the horror fiction sense. That which remains alive even after it is dead – it is immortal in its deadness.
w̷̠̚͝e̶͔̿ ̶͙͕͒̀a̸͈͐͑r̸̠̰̆̅e̵͙̚ ̵̱͊ṣ̴͍̌͝ȩ̶̣̀̽é̷̳k̸͙̎̈́i̶̢͑ñ̸̳̗́g̶̹̰̊ ̵̠͒s̵̞̖͒ȧ̵̙̗̓l̴̰̲̇v̴̱͂̕ͅá̷̪̱̌ṱ̸̑͜i̵̯̅o̴̟͇͑̀n̷̠͠ ̶̬̉̽i̴̟͐̐ṅ̶̙͈ ̸̫̃́t̶̪̉̚e̴͚̦̐̇ć̶̡̐h̷͉̫͝n̸̞̝̽́ö̸͖̞́l̸͖̲̋ö̶͚͊g̴̨̕ỹ̷͉̉
I am thinking through drawing and annotating. Mark-making as enquiry, as knowledge production. In a post-internet epoch, I am intrigued by the convergence of the digital and material realms, seeking to bridge the gap between them.
Chimerical creatures emerge, existing in-between realities – always recognisable, but often unnameable. They live on the edges of our understanding, and they are almost always gloating.
