Jinghong Chen
VISUAL ARTISTJinghong Chen is a Chinese-born visual artist currently based in Queens, New York. Her work explores themes of memory, place, and belonging through the medium of cut paper. She reflects on the layered experiences of migration, drawing on the landscapes and traditions of both her hometown and her adopted home. Influenced by Chinese folk traditions, nature, and personal history, Chen’s intricate hand-cut designs incorporate motifs from religious and cultural imagery. These elements are woven with natural forms, as well as narratives from local history. Her work often examines the tension between connection and distance—both spiritual and physical—that arises from displacement and assimilation. Through cutting and layering paper, Chen creates pieces that bridge past and present, offering a meditative exploration of identity and shared experiences of migration. Her work invites viewers to reflect on how we rebuild our relationships with land, family, and home.
Dec 30, 2025
Can you tell us about your path to becoming a visual artist? What stories or experiences led you to work with illustration?
I was born and raised in Fuzhou, China. When I first moved to the U.S., I spoke broken English. But I was able to express myself through visual art without any language barriers. I think that was a defining moment where I wanted to pursue art as a career.
Memory, place, and belonging are central to your work. How do these themes emerge from your own experiences of migration?
Migration often creates a sense of distance, not only from a physical place, but from versions of oneself. My work responds to that distance by reconstructing spaces that hold personal or collective meaning—places tied to memory, daily rituals, or cultural transformation. In researching and reimagining these spaces, I explore how belonging is not fixed but layered through time and experience.
Your work is known for intricate layering, negative space, and pattern. What draws you to paper cutting as a way to explore these ideas?
I took a paper cutting workshop when I was a kid. I would like to think that is where everything started. One of my favorite things about paper cutting is how accessible it is and therefore its long history as a folk art celebrated by everyday people around the world. This (its accessibility) speaks to my desire to provoke a shared feeling among the diaspora. I’m also drawn to the material’s cultural resonance; traditional Chinese paper cutting has long been a way to tell community stories through decoration and ritual. I reinterpret that heritage in a contemporary, narrative context—using pattern and negative space to suggest the hidden structures that shape identity and history.
Can you walk us through a specific piece that felt like a breakthrough or turning point in your practice?
I recently made a cyanotype piece using a cut paper stencil. I’ve been struggling with how to capture the vagueness and surreal quality of memory through my work. Cut paper tends to be too crisp and clear for the thoughts in my head. Earlier this summer, I pulled out a shelved piece of work I had once considered a failure and repurposed it as a stencil for my new cyanotype experiments. The outcome was surprisingly beautiful. How the sunlight hits the paper and reacts with the solution, and the lack of control, creates this perfect gap between reality and memory, and I think I’ve found my medium.
Much of your work has an educational dimension, especially when working with younger communities. What do you hope to share or teach through your art?
Working with younger communities reminds me that art can be both introspective and connective—it can preserve memory while creating space for new voices. I always feel inspired by the works my students create, and learning about the story behind each piece.
What directions are you most excited to explore in your practice? Are there any new techniques, materials, or subjects you're curious to explore in your upcoming work?
I am excited to make more cyanotype works with cut paper.