Mira Chen

Meet the artist

Mira Chen

I trained looking at still lifes the way a conservator looks at cracked varnish: one subject, one temperature, and the patience not to crowd the table. I make pictures of fruit, birds, and the hour when plaster is still cream. If a goldfinch will not stay, I wait. If the quince is too eager, I come back at a quieter noon. I want a wall that feels restored, not decorated — a single living thing holding the whole room.