Kunyi CHEN

Video Artist

Originally trained in fine arts, Kunyi Chen went on to illustrating and making traditional hand-drawn animation and her commissioned work with various top ad agencies were aired on UK TV.

Her personal animation short-films are screened at major international animation film festivals. Among these short films, Rien won the MariKuttna Film Award at the British Animation Awards 2000 and the Jury’s Special Mention Award at Annecy Animation Festival 2000 in France; Subida won Best Graduate Film Award at the Ottawa International Animation Festival 2000 in Canada and the Audiences’ Favourite Film Award at Zagreb Animation Festival 2002 in Croatia. Her simple short film Cut Along the Dotted Line Please won the Grand Prix in Croatian Minute Movie Festival 2006.

After doing her MA at the Royal College of Art, she took a break from animation film making to pursue dance-related projects before having her solo art exhibition Trip the Light Fantastic at Jendela Gallery in conjunction with the first da:ns festival at the Esplanade in 2006.

Since then, she has taken part in several dance projects, creating videos and animation works for contemporary dance shows while teaching animation film-making and doing design jobs.