Sometimes, a person stands within the city without being ready to be seen. We arrive on time, perform our actions, and leave the scene—as if placed into predetermined positions, quietly operating. In such a state, the back often comes closer to truth than the face.

Centered on "wooden sculptures of backs," this exhibition borrows the concept of the NPC (Non-Player Character) from video games to understand the city as a continuously operating system, within which people are assigned functions, positions, and roles. The back is not merely a stylistic choice, but a simulacrum of existence—the version of the self that an introverted and shy individual is able to bear when standing before the public. In this sense, the back does not signify the absence of a face. To be faceless is a definitive negation; the back, by contrast, preserves a state of incompletion—directionless, slightly suffocating, yet still standing.

In Kaohsiung, a city shaped by labor and mobility, people enter a task-oriented mode day after day. These backs are both essential to the city’s operation, yet they remain existences silenced by the system. Using wood as his primary medium, Chen Ting-Jin’s works do not seek dramatic effect and may even appear understated—much like life itself.


The exhibition is divided into multiple zones. In addition to the main "City NPC" series, it also presents other works, including “Silent Recitations”, the “Shadow” series, and new works from the “Forgetting Distance” series previously showcased at KMFA. Small oil paintings are also included, further enriching the solo exhibition.

Looking back to the artwork “Workers and Fisherwomen” created in 2006, which was the artist’s first appearance of the back as a subject, twenty years later, “City NPC” unfolds as a long, quiet conversation—not a gentle tribute to the so-called “ordinary people,” but an anticipation of direct interaction, for this NPC has not yet turned around.



    
（left）Chen Ting-Jin “I Am a Cat, I Have No Name…” 2025, Cottonwood / Acrylic Paint, 10×10×43 cm
（right）Chen Ting-Jin “Adolescent Sentimentality” 2023, Camphor Wood / Acrylic Paint, 9×17×30 cm

 

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About the Artist

Chen Ting Jin, a distinguished sculptor and art educator, holds a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the National Kaohsiung Normal University. As the original creator of the cultural figure sculpture "Workers and Fisherwomen", his work won the top prize at the 2006 Kaohsiung International Cultural Figure Creative Exhibition. This iconic sculpture was enlarged to over two meters in height and prominently displayed in the Pier-2 Art Center. It has since become a symbolic image reflecting the cultural spirit of not only the art district but also the city of Kaohsiung. With a unique blend of humor and vigor, the piece vividly portrays the resilience and vitality of Taiwan's labor force.

In his artistic practice, Chen specializes in three-dimensional sculptures, using materials as a means to explore profound philosophical questions—particularly "what it means to be human." His works incorporate diverse artistic forms, serving as both a reflection and documentation of his introspection. Through these creations, he conveys his deep pursuit of self-understanding. In recent years, Chen has primarily focused on wood sculpture, merging the natural qualities of the medium with the thematic depth of his art, showcasing his distinctive insights and innovative interpretations of the creative process.

 

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City NPC—Chen Ting-Jin

Artist | Chen Ting-Jin
Poster Designer | Make Something Cute Atelier
Exhibition Executive | Yang Yung-ju

Supervisor｜Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Kaohsiung City Government
Organizer｜Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts