Ruby Chen is an emerging multidisciplinary artist working primarily with sculptures and paintings. Drawing from cultural and economics theory and psychoanalytic practice, Chen examines how primal human compulsions - particularly those shaped by technology, consumption, and power - repeats itself across historical and contemporary contexts.
Currently based in London, Chen is completing a Master’s degree in Contemporary Art Practice at the Royal College of Art, following undergraduate studies in Economics at New York University. Her academic background in social policy informs a materially driven practice that foregrounds the body as a site of both control and resistance.
Chen’s works frequently incorporate humanoid materials such as animal fur, skin-textured rubber, and synthetic hair, paired with industrial metal components. These material juxtapositions generate visceral bodily responses while situating the works within broader socio-political frameworks, articulating the artist’s inquiry in the unconscious and its entanglement with technological acceleration and the cyclical nature of history.
Chen’s work has recently been exhibited internationally by New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA), NYC, LUmkA, London, and Alexia Project, Shanghai. The artist’s works have been featured in publications such as Flash Art, Elephant Art Magazine, Office Magazine, IMPULSE Magazine, and Hypebae, among others.
Curriculum Vitae
b. 2001, Pingtung, Taiwan
Lives and works in London, United Kingdom
EDUCATION
2023 BA, Economics, New York University, College of Arts & Science
2026 MA, Contemporary Art Practice, Royal College of Art (Expected)
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 Minor Attractions (Fair), Mandrake Hotel, London, UK
2025 As It Turns Quiet, We Rot, LUmkA, Shanghai, China
2024 Don’t, Don’t Do It Again, Alexia Project, Shanghai, China
2024 Cult of Domesticity, LUmkA, New York, US
2024 ASSEMBLY, New Art Dealers Alliance, curated by Katie A. Pfohl
2023 SKIN/IN SITU, LUmkA, New York, US
PUBLICATIONS & PRESS (Selected)
Hallström, Sofia. “Fair That Feels. Minor Attractions 2025,” Flash Art, 24 October 2025
Westall, Mark. "5 To See at Minor Attractions 2025,” FAD Magazine, 16 October 2025
Monahan, Cait. “In Ruby Chen’s World, the Flesh Remembers What the Screen Forgets,” Hypebae, 8 October 2025
“As It Turns Quiet, We Rot,” Office Magazine, 14 July 2025
Wang, Jenny XueZhu. “‘Cult of Domesticity’ at LUmkA,” IMPULSE Magazine, 29 December 2024
“LUmkA Presents The Cult of Domesticity Showcasing The Work of Ilayda Celik, Ruby Chen, Nereida Patricia & Eden Taff,” Mundane Magazine, 2024
Falb, Sam. “The Shows You Need to See in New York This October,” Elephant Magazine, 8 October 2024
RESIDENCIES
2024 Embracing The Unknown, MenLo Studio Gallery & Residency, Jingdezhen, China