Chen Ruofan: shelter

BANK’s THE VAULT is pleased to present “shelter” by Chen Ruofan. Conceived during the artist's residency in Norway in 2023, shelter conflates engagement with environmental crises with emotional refuge.

On the small island of Fleinvær, located north of the Arctic Circle, Chen became acutely aware of the stark transformations in nature, where seabirds circle endlessly over a sea that once offered them refuge on solid ice. Due to rising global temperatures, it is estimated that nearly 27 billion tons of ice are disappearing from the planet each year. The plight of the birds is a prophetic omen that will eventually affect all species.

In Alain Corbin’s “A History of the Wind (La rafale et le zéphyr）”, the wind is described as an intimate, formless force that influences human sensations and emotions. Like the changes in our environment, this “noisy emptiness” profoundly affects our internal states. Chen’s experience on Fleinvær becomes a lens through which to explore how external forces—climate change, natural disasters, and societal inequities—penetrate our daily lives. The heart, she suggests, is indeed stormy at times, resonating with the turmoil of the world around us.

Through a cross-media approach, Chen integrates digital media into her work, treating the screen as a window that connects the real and the virtual. For her, this fusion is not merely about the novelty of technology; it is about conveying the emotional nuances and vulnerabilities inherent in our modern existence. As we increasingly engage with digital platforms, we risk becoming distanced from nature and the physical world.

Chen’s works serve as a metaphorical shelter for those affected by the winds of change, offering a refuge not only from the physical impacts of climate change but also from the emotional and psychological effects as well. The melting glaciers and rising sea levels symbolize the broader socio-environmental issues we face and remind us of our shared vulnerabilities. Reciprocally, “shelter” points toward faint warnings that can often lead to more urgent alarms—much like the accumulation of dust that only becomes apparent when we are suffocated by it.