Vanessa Chen is a Taiwanese curator/artist currently based in Washington, D.C. She holds a BA in Italian and an MFA in Social Practice from the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at the George Washington University.

With a background in languages and interest in linguistics, Vanessa uses sociolinguistic concepts to create exhibitions about ordinary people’s life experiences that are subtle and often obscured or not told. Some of her past curatorial work includes What Is Your Name? which looks at how a name shapes a person’s identity, Silently, I am still here which explores how silence acts as a form of presence, and Until The Sun Rises, which is also her thesis research that probes Taiwan’s colonial history and its complicated status quo. As a multimedia artist, she is passionate about making interventions in public spaces. By creating public installations, Vanessa aims to foster discussions and create spaces for community engagement.

Outside of the art world, Vanessa is a human rights advocate and a multilingual translator for refugees, asylum seekers, victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, and many more who are experiencing crises.

“Let the unheard be heard; let the unseen be seen” is the core of her life practice.