Daniel Chen

“A Love Story”, 72x120, oils on canvas, 2024. I’ve always loved the Tenderloin. I first started working there soon after college as an assistant manager of a hotel which revolved around a cast of daily intriguing encounters and events. Like the one time a reputable local French chef spent a depraved weekend at the hotel afterwhich the head maid deemed she would never have an affinity for French food again. At art school, many of my friends lived in the tiny studios crammed full of their lives and paintings. Always the lingering smell of cigarettes and cheap beer. And as any boom and bust cycles, the Tenderloin seems to be back in an upswing. The energy of youth and dreams reinventing a neighborhood which is so inextricably tied to my formidable years. As San Francisco is also reshaping and rebuilding, I wanted to give the city that has shaped me in so many ways it’s due respect. This painting along with other large works will be on public display starting in July through the end of the year.

Heron Arts is pleased to announce "Dazed", a group exhibition celebrating geometry via movement, pattern, and waves with artworks by Alexis Arnold, @a.lexis.arnold , Casey Gray, @caseygraysf , Daniel Chen, @danielchenart , Gianluca Franzese, @gianlucafranzese , and an installation by Sophie Baker, @loaf_bkr . The opening reception for Dazed is Saturday, March 22nd, 2025 from 6-9pm. It is free and open to the public. The exhibition will be on view to the public until April 26th, by appointment only. Opening Reception details: Where: Heron Arts, 7 Heron St. When: Saturday, March 22nd from 6-9pm Email [email protected] to be added to the preview list or click the link in bio to RSVP. Featured art: Daniel Chen, @danielchenart “A Brief Respite” oils on canvas 24 x 18 in. 2025

"No Days Off", 24x18,oils on canvas, 2026

"There Will Still Be Beautiful Sunsets At the End of the World", 62x54, oils on canvas, 2026

"From My Mother's Garden", 24x18, oils on canvas, 2026

"Hope In A Time of Desperation", 60x48, oils on canvas, 2026

"At the Edge of the World", 24x18, oils on canvas, 2026

"The Castro", 36x24, oils on canvas, 2026

"Death Rattle", 20x16, oils on canvas, 2024

"Endeavor", 24x18, oils on canvas, 2025

"The Truth of the Matter", 20x16, oils on canvas, 2025. "Thr Fighter" series is a body of work capturing fighters moments after they realize they have lost a bout. Disappointment, despair, and a loss of self, their identities tied so inextricably to their occupation.

Nick Ryan Gallery is excited to introduce Daniel Chen. Daniel Chen is a painter based in San Francisco, California. He split his time growing up between the SF Bay Area and Taiwan. He has degrees from the Academy of Art University and California College of the Arts. Daniel first learned to paint from his maternal grandfather, who was a traditional calligraphy painter and an art teacher. Daniel’s mother is also an oil painter based in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Daniel has shown at Luna Rienne Gallery, Heron Art Gallery, and 111 Minna Gallery and is in the Chase Center Private Collection. “I make paintings of memories. Memories are oftentimes fragmented and fuzzy. I think we see memories as a whole, but the edges are blurred and the details are frayed. Sometimes we change details to protect our own egos or to completely mask other parts of ourselves that we want to forget. These little details might not be complete, but when we step back and see things as a whole, the picture comes together. As technology becomes more integrated with modern life. Our ability to recall visual memory has been hindered by the ubiquitous phone in our pockets. It is much easier to take quick snapshot of an event and store it away. As life becomes more interminably entrenched with technology, what becomes of our memories and visual acuity. Using pixelated and fragmented planes, I “filter” my paintings through this visual lens. Up close, the paintings make no sense, the details are blown out. As we rely more on technology to capture our memories, our ability to imprint our own becomes frayed.” -Daniel Chen We welcome Daniel to our artist roster. Look for Daniel Chen’s work to be exhibited at Nick Ryan Gallery in 2026. Visit the gallery or our website to see additional work. Images: 1) Daniel Chen photo: @brandonjosephbaker 2) ‘Midnight Corridor’, 2025, Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 in. 3) ‘Endless Summer’, 2024, Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 in. 4) ‘With Love & Squalor’, 2023, Oil on canvas, 48 x 60 in. 5) ‘Back to the Scene of the Crime’, 2022, Oil on canvas, 36 x 24 in. #danielchen #nickryangallery #bayareaartist