Brian Chen began his career in fashion design over a decade ago,

while privately pursuing his passion for creativity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he merged familiar materials and creative methods, launching his own artistic practice. After numerous failures, Chen recalled the feeling of seeing Thangka during his childhood. This memory connected his techniques and ideas, leading him to the path of fiber art creation.

Chen’s most distinctive style features a unique embroidery texture. He creates this by layering fibers from dark to light, temporarily fixing them onto fabric with an iron, and then sewing the fibers and fabric together using a sewing machine. This technique is inspired by Tibetan Buddhist Thangka, where teachings, history, and folk stories are embroidered onto fabric for preservation. For Chen, using fibers and a sewing machine to create unique patterns represents a blend of tradition and modernity. Fibers symbolize humanity’s traditional civilization, while the sewing machine represents the post-Industrial Revolution era. This intertwining spans from the past to the present, encouraging viewers to contemplate not only the surface of the image but also the essence of the past, present, and future.