Yen Cha

Email: [email protected]Instagram: @yentarciea

Soft Sculptures

Textiled Relief on Canvas

Artist Bio

Yena Cha, preferred as Yen, is a South Korean
self-taught textile artist, working mainly with dolls as
stand-ins for herself that explores personal storytelling, identity, and her melancholic longing within her wishes.Before she became an artist, she was interested in becoming an author, but her path had shifted into visual art where she now holds a Bachelor of Design in Illustration and Character Design from Alberta University of the Arts, giving her to combine character design, illustration, stories, and textile to her works.Her first group exhibition was during 2023 summer in Fort Calgary for their Flip the Script, which led her to apply to other art shows. Yen is currently focusing on expanding her doll art practice through different opportunities.

Artist Statement

I am a self-taught textile artist whose practice centers on doll-making. Through this medium, I explore identity, personal storytelling, and the melancholic longing held within wishes. Working primarily with doll art in fabrics, I create narrative and conceptual soft sculptures, as well as occasional textile-based reliefs on canvas, blending whimsy with self-reflection. My work focuses on
chibi-inspired dolls, influenced by a Japanese art style characterized by exaggerated, childlike forms. These dolls act as stand-ins for myself, allowing me to embed layers of symbolism, personal narrative, and emotional resonance within each piece.While the playful forms may appear lighthearted, they carry deeper reflections on vulnerability, memory, and longing. Each piece functions as an intimate self-protrait and an open invitation, encouraging viewers to decipher the symbols and find similar aspects of their own stories or wishes.By working in a medium that is familiar and historically tied to comfort, I aim to create a space that is both accessible and disarming. Through this tension between soft materials and complex emotional expression, I hope to cultivate spaces where personal and collective narratives can intertwine.