Tsai Chih-Fen was born in 1966 in Taipei, Taiwan. She was trained as a visual artist at Taipei National University of the Arts, and received her MFA and MS in Art History, Criticism and Conservation from Pratt Institute. While living in New York from 1990 to 1994, she explored the aesthetic and experiential possibilities of combining various mediums in her installation works. Emphasizing environmental installation and digital media in her work, Chih-Fen critically examines the interplay of space and place that are related to people's cultural identity. She has accomplished many projects through applying estranging techniques to the thematization of human interaction with the environment that her oeuvres share.
By observing the struggles between modern industrialization and ecological preservation in Asia-Pacific countries, her work reflects the fragility of human existence and living conditions. Apart from questioning of the impacts to our living because of the deteriorating environment, she investigates the polluted wasteland along the north coast of Taiwan with an attempt to provoke multifarious discussions on issues regarding the exploitation of nature due to cultural and political reasons.
In order to provide an alternative framework to delve into contemporary environmental issues, Chih-Fen integrates photography, video, and installation to reflect the tremendous destruction caused by complex social factors. Meanwhile, she is searching for a counterpoint from diverse cultural phenomena which might trigger reciprocal interactions between human and natural forces.
Between 2004 and 2014, Chih-Fen had completed many environmental installation projects, and participated in numerous artists-in-residence programs around the world including Arteles Creative Center, Finland; Arte Studio Ginestrelle, Italy; Vermont Studio Center, U.S.A.; Gozo Contemporary, Malta; Anderson Ranch Arts Center, U.S.A.; and Grass Mountain Chateau, Taiwan. She was also a recipient of 2006/2007 Asia Artist Fellowship granted by Freeman Foundation, U.S.A. As well as practicing as a visual artist, she teaches at the Department of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Normal University.
Tsai Chih-Fen currently lives and works in Taiwan.