Chen Chuanduan
The Tacit Measure: Caves, Comets, and Dreams Uncollapsed
As Chen Chuanduan states: “I have lost the ability to dream of the universe.” Yet we witness an obstinate pursuit—that blue meteorite lodged within his body never truly ceased its motion. Like a love letter to parallel realities, the exhibition invites audiences to follow the artist’s lens and rediscover the cosmic imagination latent within their own memories.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
On show from October 12, 2025, to January 12, 2026, artist Chen Chuanduan’s solo exhibition The Tacit Measure: Caves, Comets, and Dreams Uncollapsed features his Everett’s Notes series, a body of photographic works, unfolding as an intimate and profound visual narrative. More than an exploration through images, the exhibition charts a spiritual journey across the realms of dreams, the universe and memory.
The artist's practice originates from a lament for the fading ability to “dream of the universe” In his childhood, he often traversed interstellar spaces in dreams, drifting through bubble universes, experiencing weightless floating and the awe of approaching celestial bodies. Yet, as he grew older, this almost psychic perception faded. Thus, he picked up the camera, like an archaeologist excavating the ruins of consciousness, attempting to recapture illusions flattened by reality.
The exhibition unfolds along three narrative threads: The Meteor of the Blue Comet originates from a dream of being “struck”—a comet meteorite piercing the body, leaving warmth and stillness, like a silent gift. The Cave is an Eternal Night constructs a a profoundly mysterious otherworldly land, harboring unnamed sounds and invisible light, reflecting the artist’s desire to connect with this unknown world and Specimen 84003 transforms his student-era experiences in planetary geological research into a visual poem, building a bridge of flickering light between science and fantasy.
Inspired by physicist Hugh Everett III’s multiverse theory, Chen employs it as a metaphor for the mechanics of dreams: when the frequency of a dream resonates with a parallel universe, one temporarily escapes this time and place, gliding into another reality. These uncollapsed possibilities, freely morphing like amoebae, are immeasurable yet undeniably tangible. "
As the artist states: “I have lost the ability to dream of the universe.” Yet within the exhibition, we witness an obstinate pursuit—that blue meteorite lodged within his body never truly ceased its motion. it still luminesces within, faintly but persistently vibrating. Chen is not merely a dreamweaver of images but a detective seeking truth in the wilderness of the cosmos.
He searches the night sky for traces of comets, waits in caves for anomalous sounds, and reconstructs through his work a starry sky once witnessed yet ultimately forgotten by his younger self. Like a love letter to parallel realities, the exhibition invites audiences to follow the artist’s lens and rediscover the cosmic imagination latent within their own memories.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Chen Chuanduan, (born 1994) uses imagery as a medium, beginning with documentary works rooted in personal emotions and experiences. He focuses on the connection between humans and nature and the cries of modern life. He is fascinated by natural science and mysticism, with a particular penchant for imaginary and fictional elements.
He has independently published photography books titled Restrained Orders, Belly of The Giant Serpent, and Restorative Topophilia. Chen Chuanduan’s work was recognized among the 'TOP20·2019 Emerging Contemporary Chinese Photographers.' He has also won the '2024 Three Shadows Photography Award (TSPA).' Moreover, he has held solo exhibitions, including Voice in the Wilderness, Rootless Hymn, This Land Heals Me, and Restrained Orders.
Chen graduated from Beijing Normal University in 2019 with a master's degree in comparative education. He currently works and lives as educator and visual artist in China.