Artist Talk by Sichen Grace Chen

Discover the hidden rhythms of the Pacific Northwest through the eyes of Sichen Grace Chen at her upcoming artist talk on Saturday, February 7th, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Lipont Gallery. As a centerpiece of the In Flux: Rhythms of Life exhibition, Chen will share the fascinating stories behind her fieldwork at Botanical Beach and her unique philosophy of "aquatic thinking." Attendees will gain a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how she translates the vibrant intertidal zone into immersive canvases, using saturated colors and rich textures to bridge the gap between human life and the natural world. Whether you are an art student, a nature enthusiast, or a local resident, this free event is a unique opportunity to explore how water acts as a "vital tissue" connecting us all.

New Exhibition “In Flux: Rhythms of Life” Explores the Intersection of Ecology and Emotion at Lipont Gallery

Exhibition Dates
Jan 22 – Feb 26, 2026 (Mon – Fri 10am-5pm or by appointment. Free admission.)

Location: Lipont Gallery, Rm218 (no elevator), 4211 No. 3 Road, Richmond, BC
Parking: Free parking on the south side of the building only. Please do not park on the north side.

Lipont Gallery presents In Flux: Rhythms of Life, a compelling group exhibition featuring the works of Vancouver-based artists Sichen Grace Chen, Yuan Wen, and Echo Xie. Running from January 22 to February 26, 2026, the exhibition invites the public to explore the fluid boundaries between the internal psyche, material agency, and the natural world.

Life, in its most essential form, is a series of fluid transitions—a constant state of “becoming” that bridges the internal psyche with the external environment. In Flux: Rhythms of Life brings together the works of Sichen Grace Chen, Yuan Wen, and Echo Xie, three artists whose practices converge at the intersection of materiality, ecology, and the subconscious. Through painting, mixed media, and installation, the exhibition explores how rhythms—biological, ecological, and emotional—shape our understanding of the world and our place within it.

anchors the exhibition in the vibrant, aquatic ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest. Drawing from extensive fieldwork at Botanical Beach, located on the Southern coast of Vancouver Island, Chen subverts traditional landscape tropes by adopting an “aquatic thinking.” Her canvases, characterized by thin glazes and heavy impasto, mimic the depth of the intertidal zone. By rendering kelp in the hues of oxygenated blood, yellow ochre, and deep cobalt, she positions water not merely as a subject, but as a vital “tissue” that connects human and more-than-human bodies. Her work invites us to “swim along the current,” embracing the fluid boundaries of the natural world.

shifts the focus toward the meditative rhythm of the process itself. Deeply informed by Daoist ziran (自然) and the nuances of diasporic experience, Wen’s mixed-media paintings are records of time, pressure, and touch. Working with Xuan paper, ink, and lithographic materials, she treats the surface as a site of dwelling—a space where memory and labor accumulate. For Wen, the act of painting is a negotiation between the body and the material; her works are not static images but “material encounters” that emphasize slowness, responsiveness, and the inherent agency of the elements she employs.

explores the energetic rhythms of the human interior. Her practice functions as a social experiment, utilizing “high-tension color collisions” and the kinetic energy of pigments to map the subconscious. Xie’s work navigates the “truth beneath the face,” deconstructing traditional lines to symbolize the dissolution of the self. Whether through surreal figurative palettes or interactive installations, she seeks to bridge social fragmentation by creating “landscapes that invite pause,” ultimately urging the viewer to reconnect with emotional structures that are often suppressed in contemporary life.

Together, these three artists present a dialogue on the interconnectedness of all things. From the tidal surges of the Pacific coast to the microscopic decisions of the brush and the turbulent currents of the psyche, In Flux reminds us that rhythm is the fundamental language of existence. The exhibition invites viewers to step into this flow, to observe the traces of labor and emotion, and to find resonance in the shared state of being in flux.

About the Artists

• is a visual artist, educator, and co-founder of Atelier Aloera. She is currently pursuing her MFA at Emily Carr University. Her paintings focus on the ecological nuances of the Pacific Northwest through a lens of saturated color and texture.
• is an interdisciplinary artist with an MFA from the University of British Columbia. Her practice delves into material agency and feminist spatial practice, drawing on traditional East Asian craft and contemporary research.
• is a Vancouver-based artist, curator, and founder of the Affordable Open Art (AOA) Collective. Her work explores the healing potential of art and the translation of internal emotional states into sensory visual forms.

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