For many years, I have been utilizing a wide range of media in my artwork, including oil, acrylic, watercolor, and various readily available composite materials. My artistic forms are diverse, and I am active in both traditional canvas, paper, and silk painting, as well as public art.
In my canvas and works on paper, my pieces encompass both figurative and abstract art. The choice of painting style is not fixed but is determined by my observation at the time and prioritizes the visual impact of the scene. During the creation of some works, to establish a logical structure within the art, I employ techniques that fragment the form, revealing only hints of their original essence. These fragments become the nourishment and framework for reconstructed creations, producing compelling visual images through destruction. This process not only provokes the viewer's feelings and thoughts but also challenges conventional viewing modes. Traditionally, viewers have often relied heavily on visible forms, overlooking deeper, more authentic meanings in the world's composition. The thinking process in my work extracts emotions from various objects and transforms them into explorations of visual language possibilities, such as using points, lines, and planes; colors, shapes, and lines, enabling a broader understanding and manipulation of concepts beyond just the confines of tangible objects. Even when I return to carefully depict the physical forms themselves, I manage to convey unique emotions and more universal ideas.
This is why my works sometimes are purely abstract, sometimes figurative, and sometimes a combination of both. I seek pure connection, unwilling to be confined, and strive to break various barriers. I hope to unleash the viewer's first autonomous consciousness through deconstructed colors and meticulously recombined details, thus discovering and enriching the meanings of the works.
In addition to traditional painting materials, my works often feature a mix of unconventional materials or unconventional uses of conventional materials, directly incorporated into my paintings. The visual impact of these materials also forms a part of my aesthetic. My consistent fascination with materials has led me to create public art, which is much larger in scale than painting and interacts directly with spaces. A recent work is the 2023 installation "A Vision of the World," created in Long Island, New York. Constructed from steel, this large eye-shaped frame measures over four meters long and two meters high, set in a vast grassy field. The work is see-through, allowing sunlight to pass through both sides during sunny days at sunrise and sunset. The golden sunlight replaces the brightest gleam in the depths of the pupil, making this a true interaction with the earth, with nature becoming an integral part of the artwork itself.
My art involves many attempts to break through surface visual information, harboring emotions that surge beneath calm exteriors. However, I prefer not to endow my works with excessive narrative; I strive to return art to its visual essence, allowing it to exist independently of text.

Lihua Chen, born in 1977, is an artist with over two decades of experience in the creative field. She also works as a freelance writer, having composed feature articles, essays, and art critiques for radio, magazine media, and gallery exhibitions. Lihua currently lives and works in both New York and Beijing, engaging in various artistic endeavors including painting, video, and public art. She has held solo and group exhibitions in several global cities such as Beijing, London, Berlin, and New York, and has participated in numerous public art projects. In 2015, she curated and hosted the themed exhibition "From Sanwei Study Hall to the Hundred Grasses Garden" in Beijing's 798 Art District. In 2016, she ventured into cross-disciplinary work by designing the theme for the Shanghai International Fashion Week, which included stage environments, electronic background music, and opening dramatic performances, and also placed the large installation "The Comic Character - Ying" at the Agricultural Exhibition Hall of East Third Ring Road, a landmark in Beijing. In 2023, her large installation "A Vision of the World" was installed in Long Island, New York. Lihua's artistic style is versatile, favoring works that combine subtle, profound meanings with a striking visual style.