"Art as a unifying tool to rebuild the world..."

Dr. T. F. Chen is a painter, art historian, writer, philosopher, visionary, and founder of the T. F. Chen Cultural Center in NYC -- a non-profit organization focusing on international cultural exchange and a Global New Renaissance. A recipient of a Global Tolerance Award (2001, U. N.) Dr. Chen was designated a "Cultural Ambassador for Tolerance and Peace" by the Friends of the United Nations to continue his lifetime of work dedicated to peace, tolerance and love; and for his art of multiculturalism -- a body of work that reflects the achievements of our humanity and inspires worldwide cultural harmony and progress.

Dr. Chen's artistic life spans more than half a century. Born in Taiwan and educated in France, Chen was the first Asian scholar to earn a Ph. D in modern art history from La Sorbonne, where he established "Five - Dimensional World Culture" in theory (1969) and initiated "Neo-Iconography" in painting. Chen has produced more than 1,000 paintings in his signature Neo-Iconography style and has published over a dozen books in English, Chinese and French concerning his art and his theories of an upcoming New Renaissance. Recognized as "one of the twenty most influential artists in the world today (Dr. Thomas McEvilley, art critic)," Chen has conducted more than 100 one-man exhibitions worldwide. Chen's works are featured in over two-hundred textbooks (including Arts & Ideas), countless articles, newspapers, art magazines, etc.; and are collected widely both privately and publicly such as the Museum of Modern Art, Paris; the Smithsonian Institute; the Taipei Fine Arts Museum; etc. His series include "The Spirit of Liberty," "Humanity," "Post - Van Gogh," "East - West," "Space Age," "Princess Diana," "Jade Mountain Love and Peace," "9/11,"etc.

Dr. Chen holds the honor of beinginvited to speak and exhibit at the "State of the World Forum" in 1998 and 2000, a gathering of over 1,000 prominent world leaders in the fields of business, science, politics, education, technology and the humanities. Chen has also been invited to launch a World Art Campaign under the theme: "Building A Culture of Peace and Tolerance through the Arts" . The project will act as a catalyst, igniting the inner vision of local communities, children, art lovers and all people worldwide, to inspire artwork in the spirit of peace and to continue bearing the positive message of the United Nations.

Neo-Iconography is a daring new form of communication. It unites East and West, past and present, by organizing and combining familiar "icons" in unfamiliar ways. Like a passionate art collector, Dr. Chen assembles images he treasures and places them together in contexts that defy time, space, and cultural barriers. The result is an eclectic composition, which may be startling, puzzling, joyful, sorrowful or humorous. "Neo-I" is a daring form of art because it challenges both the artist and the viewer to be enchanted by new meanings for established images. Each painting has a visual impact with a philosophical underpinning.

EXCERPTS FROM CHEN'S SPEECHES

"We need a culture based on LOVE instead of POWER, HUMANISM instead of MATERIALISM, HEART instead of MACHINE, CREATION instead of PRODUCTION, and HAPPINESS instead of WEALTH; a culture of TO BE (and TO LOVE) instead of TO HAVE, not just HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, but also SOULWARE"

- Artist Association International, Paris

"Entering the 20th century, the well-developed "Four Dimensional Culture of Divergency" produced the most powerful nuclear weapon which put the entire humanity under the threat of total destruction in a few minutes.  Out of such a background arises a common and shared consciousness of pursuing a "World Family" in fraternity. Under such a cultural environment and social background is born my view of 'FIVE DIMENSIONAL UNIVERSAL CULTURE in LOVE.' What is open in front of us is not merely a new expression in art, the Neo-Iconography which is an aspect of our Post-Modernism in aesthetic creation, but the advent of a NEW RENAISSANCE in a global scale for all humanity, the shared task for our Post-Nuclear Age."

- Taiwan Museum of Art, Taiwan

"Neo-I is the beginning of a world art renaissance, which weaves together ICONS, cultural images with symbolic meaning to produce FRESH and PRECISE VISIONS of universal consequence, a new universal culture of the FIFTH DIMENSION combining TIME, SPACE, and CONSCIENCE."

- 9th International Conference on the Unity of Sciences, FL

"Neo-I, a kind of Conceptual Art The essence of Neo-I is LIBERTY-Liberty of Mind, Freedom of Tongue, Liberty of Hand (unlimited techniques), Freedom of Interpretation"

- Gallery New World, Taipei, Taiwan

"POP ART is the precedent to Neo-Iconography, and Neo-Iconography is a philosophical flowering of Pop Art or its realization of an historical mission. POP ART responds to mass culture, while Neo-I to Universal Civilization.  POP ART emphasized vulgarity, while Neo-I, universal concern; POP ART reveals secularism; Neo-I, universalityU Neo-I is an art of life: the artist tries to use art to convey his/her concern, to seek truth, to preach; yet does so through icons and artistic treatment of visual manifestation of social life.  Neo-I selects icons from every possible culture, of different time and space, more historical than social is the interpretation of certain philosophy. Moreover, Neo-I is prone sometimes to be an art engage, fighting for some ideas and ideals; therefore is quite political, social and cultural, besides aesthetical."

- Lucia Gallery (SoHo), NYC

"I belong to a new generation in civilization, a new universal culture in which we are now living which synthesizes a new society for everyone.  I am neither Eastern nor Western --  I belong to both at the same time, the whole"

- John Hopkins University, MD

"Every moment in your life is unique. If you have done something good in this moment, that is eternal"

- Taipei Fine Arts Museum

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