Chow and Lin are an artist duo working on scale across geography and time, connecting complex systems to daily lived experience. The crux of their practice lies in their methodology of statistical, mathematical and research techniques. Their projects are driven by the discursive backgrounds in economics, public policy, media, and these are augmented by exchanges with specialists across disciplines.

Chow and Lin have exhibited at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Arles Les Rencontres De La Photographie, Art Basel Hong Kong, Lahore Biennale, National University of Singapore Museum and the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok. Their works are in the permanent collections of MoMA, China Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum, Art Vontobel. They are authors of The Poverty Line (published by Actes Sud and Lars Müller Publishers, 2021) which is in the collections of the MoMA Library, Centre Pompidou Bpi and V&A Museum Library. They are recipients of the Berlin Falling Walls Breakthrough Awards – Science in the Arts (2020), IMPART Art Prize (2022), Global TED Fellows (2024).

Chow and Lin comprises Stefen Chow (b. 1980) and Huiyi Lin (b. 1980). They are a Singaporean artist duo based in Beijing.

Can you tell us about your background and how you started your artistic journey?

We started with questions and discussions about society. Lin was originally trained in economics and worked in public policy and market research. Chow was a mountaineer who went into photography and film. Social issues such as poverty and inequality came up as recurring themes in our conversations, combined with observations on travels across developing and developed countries. We began “The Poverty Line” project in 2010 as a collaboration between the two of us, bringing our skills and experiences to discuss what poverty means. We did research on a country’s official poverty line definition, and calculated the monetary amount per person per day. We purchased and took photographs of food choices purchased from the local markets and supermarkets based on the daily food budgets, and the local newspapers of that day.

We first shared the project with some friends and close contacts, who had mixed reactions. We were confused how something which was objective in methodology would invoke such varied views. Then a curator in Beijing, Jillian Schultz, encouraged us, saying the visual narrative spoke in a contemporary art language but she had not seen anything like this. As we exhibited the project, it developed its own voice to engage and connect. We have since covered 38 countries and territories across 6 continents, over the past 15 years. It has grown into a long-term exploration of social structures, development and food networks, and motivated us to develop other art projects. Part of the project was exhibited at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 2023-24, in a collection exhibition “Systems” curated by Paola Antonelli. We observed how the works interacted with visitors coming from different parts of the world. For us, that is the power and beauty of art.

What are the main themes or concepts you explore in your work?

We use a research-based visual approach to examine global phenomenon and their connections to daily lived experience. Time and geography are important factors to accumulate knowledge and uncover insights on how things link or unravel. In showing our works, we often build large installations that allow different distances of viewing. Over the past fifteen years, we have worked on food systems, social structures, big data, sustainability, memory and identity and other issues.

One of our recent projects, “Even If It Looks Like Grass”, was commissioned for the Lahore Biennale 03 in 2024. The work invited visitors to explore the systems of wheat and data – two elements with extensive networks which have impacted human development since 10,000 years ago and into the future. We used 5,000 pieces of A4 paper printed with satellite images, research publications, news articles, internet information and cultural references, to create a tangible, visually powerful installation in the historic Alhamra Art Centre.

Are there any particular mediums you prefer working with? Why?

We use different visual methods depending on the theme, audience and platform. We started in photography and also work across video, installation and text. The project “Decentralized Value Systems” assembles ready-mades to question our perception of value in the current economic constructs. At our solo exhibition in Beijing this year, we positioned 456 bottles of locally-manufactured “baijiu” alcohol around a single smart phone of the same total value into a grid. We also created a new work, “Blink” using AI generative tools, in collaboration with our Gen Alpha children to contemplate their thought processes and reactions to the technology at this early stage.

What is your creative process like? Do you follow a routine or work spontaneously?

Our art is driven by questions. We often start from spontaneous wondering about social changes and daily encounters. We talk and inquire, gathering knowledge by moving in and out of the art ecosystem. We conduct research and talk to academic and industry experts to probe the underlying structures and related topics to develop ideas for art projects.

How do you stay inspired and motivated to create new work?

We are often inspired by historical and current events, and we weave them into our process and knowledge base. A lot of our work is about the “now”, expanding our own concerns and concerns. Our works are inherently of an interdisciplinary nature, connecting with audiences across different spheres. We have exhibited in art and photography museums and biennales, and also presented at the United Nations, World Economic Forum and TED platforms. We see our art as a platform to create meaningful conversations.

What projects are you currently working on, and what can we expect from you in the future?

We are working on a forty-year project, “The Conversation”, which started in 2021 and will end in 2061, hopefully. This is a conscious record of our thinking and knowledge living through these times. We are a married couple with two children, and as such, our roles and interactions with each other isn’t just as fellow artists, but as lovers, parents and conversationalists. We have also embarked on a new project related to the structure of food production, distribution, consumption, to build conversations on sustainability and interdependence of our current food systems. We are now in the early stage of research and will create the art works next year.

Text & photo courtesy of Chow and Lin

Website: https://www.chowandlin.com/
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