The exhibition Summoner of Birds draws from the artist's childhood imagination of birds, while also reflecting on the boundaries and separations between human activity and the lives of other species. These ideas are interwoven with elements of absurdity and performance. In one work, Chou dons a Ghillie suit and plays the cello in London's St. James's Park, blending into the surroundings like a mysterious, quasi-human creature. Drawn by scattered feed, pigeons gather around him, approaching and retreating in response to his movements. This back-and-forth creates a subtle rhythm-an interplay through which the artist seeks a sense of balance and quiet romanticism.
Chou often relies on natural environments as collaborators in his practice, while at times also constructing an artificial "nature" of his own-one akin to the worlds of science fiction. This duality not only serves as a source of healing but also offers him a sense of safety in an otherwise material and disjointed world.
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Chou Yen-Hsu (b. 1997)
Chou Yen-Hsu currently resides in the United Kingdom. He received his MFA from the University of the Arts London in 2023 and is presently studying at the University of Oxford. His works have been exhibited at venues including the Royal Scottish Academy and the Arsenale in Venice.
"Snowman, we have Shakespeare." - a line from The Unperformed Journey to the Himalayas by Polish poet Wisława Szymborska. For Chou, this sentence felt like a call from human civilization toward the wild-deeply moving and unforgettable. He etched it into his memory, allowing it to slowly take shape in his mind.