In the studio with Catherine Ko Chen

Catherine and I first met at Facebook, when I hired her as a part of the initial cohort of the Rotational Research Program (now known as the Research Associates Program). We interacted regularly, but didn’t really connect until after I had left Facebook and her artistic practice picked up. She has become one of my favorite living artists and I’m the proud owner of two of her pieces.

In September 2022, I was in London for a work event and had the chance to catch up with Catherine in her beautiful space. Over coffee (and entertaining Twombly), we caught up about friendship, the monastic lifestyles of artists/makers, and the performance that comes with being in an office these days.

I hadn’t seen Catherine in nearly half a decade, but the emotional frequencies of the world that she channels so easily meant that her studio was an oasis of calm and openness. As we talked, we watched light dance across her work and walls, and she graciously allowed me to roam with my camera. As someone who’s appreciated her work from afar, the entire afternoon was a gift.

Catherine Ko Chen’s website says that “her work centers around emotion and memory, and how the two change shape over time” and in each of her pieces, I appreciate the tension between what we think we should feel and what we actually do.

You can (and should) see more of her work at @catherinekochen or https://www.catherinekochen.com.