Chenlin Cai is a global artist and educator who divides his time between Philadelphia and Beijing. Born in Fujian, China, he relocated to the United States in 2014. The tension caused by navigating life in two very different cultures heavily informs Cai’s practice.

Landscapes are a frequent subject in Cai’s work. He observes that Western scenic paintings often feature realistic depictions of physical and geographic conditions, while Eastern landscape paintings emphasize mood and imaginary narratives by using symbolic imagery.

For Interstellar Landscape, Cai draws inspiration from early footage gathered by the James Webb Telescope, the largest telescope ever placed in space and 100 times more powerful than the Hubble. These images capture the previously concealed Cosmic Cliffs in the Carina Nebula to reveal a never-before-seen landscape. To underscore the Western/Eastern friction that influences all aspects of his life, Cai blends classical oil painting techniques with the artistic language of traditional Chinese ink paintings. The fantastical image that results is a combination of macro- and micro-level observations—panoramic landscapes captured from space and rendered in finely painted details that resemble microscopic organic structures.

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