青幻舎 SEIGENSHA Art Publishing

The endearing joy of a life with cats: a collection by one of the foremost practitioners of cat painting in Asia today.

Taiwanese painter Chen Pei Yi is an exciting talent in today’s Asian art scene. Her cats, rendered using traditional East Asian methods, are portrayed in affectionate individual detail right down to the textures of their fur; thick built-up layers of traditional ground pigments form intricate patterns on the plush carpets lining their living spaces, evoking a decidedly Asian ambience. The cats’ intimate expressions and demeanor, of the kind that they would only show before someone who lives and works with them day after day, attest not only to Chen’s artistic virtuosity but also to the utter trust she shares with her beloved felines.

This first collection by Chen presents fifty-three paintings, including some all new, together with a statement by the artist and photographs of her at work with her cats.

Chen Pei Yi was born in 1984 in Taichung, Taiwan, and completed a master’s degree in fine arts at Tunghai University. Her cat paintings brought her to the attention of nihonga artist Yasunari Ikenaga, with whom she held a joint exhibition in 2017 in Tokyo. She primarily shows her work in Taiwan, including at the Art Taipei and Art Formosa annual art fairs.