NINA CHEN
Born in 1980 in Hubei Province, China, Nina Chen (陈妮娜) is a Shanghai-based photographer. Her work is calm and collected, capturing moments of quietness in the contemporary havoc of the Chinese city. Deriving inspiration from the singular moments of still time, she reflects on the shifts in the modern city and shapes a visual poetry from the bits and pieces of her surroundings, combining her environment with narratives of those near to her or her personal reflections. There is a spontaneous quality in her images, freezing particular moments of time to ruminate on. Through the lens of her camera, Chen shows viewers her perspective of modern China. Not bound by topic or method of shooting, Chen sees nature and beauty in the contemporary city and in the life derived from nature’s ever-changing moment.
Chen graduated from Hubei Normal University in 2003, studying fine arts with a focus on graphic design. She then worked as an art teacher in Hubei Province before relocating to Shanghai, where she worked as the chief designer in an advertising company and later director of design and photography at an international art center. Since 2010 she has worked as a freelance photographer for commercial projects, including fashion, portrait, product, interior, and corporate photography, while focusing on her own art projects. In 2010 she opened Nina Chen Photography Studio in Shanghai.
She has participated in exhibitions at the Curator’s Voice Art Projects (Miami, United States, 2011), River South Art Center (Shanghai, 2011), The Source (Shanghai, 2011), China Pingyao International Photography Festival (2010, 2009), among others.
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