callooh! callay!
Jiayun Chen Solo Exhibition
Mistranslation is no longer an error but a catalyst for meaning-making
Words by Liuxuan Lyu
Jiayun Chen’s solo exhibition callooh! callay! is on view at 4C Gallery from January 17 to January 22, 2025. In this exhibition, translation is not merely the conversion of language but an exploration of visual, spatial, and conceptual transformations. Taking Lewis Carroll’s nonsensical poem Jabberwocky as a point of departure, the exhibition examines the phenomenon of “mistranslation” in cross-cultural exchanges and constructs a multi-dimensional translation experience through materials, imagery, sound, and installation.
The Transparency of Language: Plexiglass, Light, and Reflection
In this exhibition, translation is not only displaced within the text but also materialized in space. Jiayun Chen employs plexiglass as a primary medium. Its transparency symbolizes the permeability of language while alluding to the connections and gaps inherent in translation. Suspended in the gallery space, the plexiglass functions as both a “window” and a “barrier,” prompting viewers to shift their perspectives between different cultural contexts.
The use of mirrors further reinforces the concept of “mirrored translation.” Jabberwocky, originally from Through the Looking-Glass, is a poem that Alice can only read correctly with the help of a mirror. Similarly, in the exhibition, viewers engage with mirrored structures to read the texts, blurring the distinction between “original” and “translation.” This mirroring mechanism not only serves as a metaphor for translation but also transforms the act of viewing into an interactive process of interpretation.
Additionally, the use of light and shadow visualizes the inherent ambiguity of translation. As light passes through the plexiglass, it casts shifting, ephemeral projections on the walls, underscoring the fluid and transient nature of meaning, this reminds us that language is never static but always in flux.
Multiple Trajectories of Translation
The exhibition invites Chen’s friends from diverse backgrounds to participate in the translation process, resulting in translations that reflect distinct linguistic and cultural identities. Some translations carry the poetic and lyrical qualities found in foreign children’s literature, while others are infused with Beijing dialect and humor. This process highlights how language is shaped by culture and illustrates the constant negotiation between the ambiguity of the original text and the subjectivity of the translator.
To balance the exhibition’s heavy textual presence, Chen incorporates everyday objects such as wine, pencils, and lighters.
These seemingly ordinary items function as metaphors for the multiple relationships within translation through their mirrored and unbalanced compositions. For instance, the contrast between pencils of different hardness (4B vs. 4H) symbolizes the tension between precision and ambiguity, while the lighter’s original and replica versions suggest the nuanced relationship between an “authentic text” and its “recreation.”
One of the most striking pieces in the exhibition is “Precision & Accuracy (Claws),” inspired by a rare moment of clarity in Jabberwocky: “the claws that catch.” In a sea of nonsensical words, this phrase stands out as a sharp, tangible image. Chen extracts this fragment and transforms it into a sculptural representation, freezing a fleeting moment of precision within an otherwise ambiguous linguistic landscape.
Translating Language into Sound
For the exhibition’s opening, a sound artist was invited to use a custom-built plug-in to convert textual translations into a soundscape. This auditory experience, imbued with both natural and ominous undertones, evokes the sensation of a monster’s battle—an interpretation that seamlessly aligns with the narrative essence of Jabberwocky. It also serves to estrange the act of translation, allowing viewers to perceive it through an unfamiliar auditory lens.
Here, sound becomes another form of translation. As text is encoded and transformed into sound, meaning is stripped away, leaving behind only rhythm and texture. This process raises fundamental questions about the nature of translation—if text can be rendered as sound, what defines the essence of translation itself?
The Significance of Mistranslation: How Do Viewers Participate?
Chen encourages audience participation by allowing viewers to submit their own translations via QR code, turning the exhibition into an ever-expanding translation experiment. She believes that mistranslation is often more significant than the original text, as it opens language to new interpretations and enables viewers to reconstruct meaning within their own cultural frameworks.
The exhibition also examines the core concepts of Precision & Accuracy, two terms that are often interchangeable in everyday language but hold distinct implications in scientific, linguistic, and artistic contexts. Through deliberately unbalanced mirrored structures, Chen challenges the viewer’s trust in linguistic precision and invites them to experience the fluidity of meaning in translation.
Translation as Experiment, Mistranslation as Creation
callooh! callay! is not merely an inquiry into translation but a broader exploration of the limits of language. Here, translation is no longer a straightforward act of conveying meaning but an interplay of visual, auditory, and spatial elements. Text is reversed in the mirror, meaning drifts in the shifting light, and translation morphs into sound, while the audience’s misinterpretations become an integral part of the work.
In this exhibition, translation is not just the reproduction of language but an ongoing process of seeking meaning within uncertainty. Mistranslation is no longer an error but a catalyst for meaning-making—challenging us to reconsider how language shapes our understanding and how, through endless reinterpretation, it continuously reconstructs our world.
In Conversation with Jiayun Chen
Q: Liuxuan Lyu
A:Jiayun Chen
Q: What significant differences did you observe in translations between different languages? How has this shaped your understanding of mistranslation?
A: I see “mistranslation” as a debatable concept—it is often not an error but an inevitable shift in interpretation. Different languages function like mirrors, reflecting not just the original meaning but also the translator’s inner world. This is particularly evident in poetry translation, where each translator imbues the text with their own cultural background, linguistic tendencies, and subjective interpretations.
Q: How does the nature of the Chinese language influence translation?
A: Chinese feels more intimate to me, allowing me to perceive linguistic nuances more deeply. For example, Tracy’s translation reminds me of fantasy children’s literature, while Luigi’s version carries the colloquialism of Beijing dialect, reminiscent of Wang Shuo’s novels. Bingo’s translation, on the other hand, is playful and highly personal. These nuances can only be fully appreciated when one has a deep connection to the language. In contrast, English often feels more like a tool for communication rather than a language with an intrinsic sensory experience.
Q: Your exhibition features objects like wine, pencils, and lighters. What role do they play in the concept of translation?
A: Balance and mirroring are central to this exhibition. In Jabberwocky, Alice must use a mirror to read the poem correctly. This concept of mirroring extends into my Translation / Interpretation series. The textual density in the exhibition made me consider how to make the space more dynamic, particularly for non-native English speakers. The introduction of everyday objects breaks up the rigidity of text-heavy displays while also serving as metaphors for translation’s inherent imbalances.
Translation is fundamentally an asymmetric process, much like an unsteady scale where the two sides never fully align. This imbalance exists not only between languages but also in human relationships. The exhibition is not only about textual translation but also about the unspoken “translations” between friends. I sometimes wonder—can these interpersonal interactions also be considered a form of translation?
Q: How does sound function as a form of translation?
A: Sound was never part of my artistic framework until Tracy mentioned that my plexiglass works, when paired with lighting, seemed to “crave sound.” This led me to consider the auditory dimension of translation. The Precision & Accuracy series employs light to create blurred contours, and from a sonic perspective, this blurring resembles echoes or repetition.
At the opening, Tracy invited Yifeng to perform a sound piece using a custom-built program that converted Jabberwocky translations into binary code (1s and 0s) and then into sound. The translations passed through multiple languages—English, Chinese, Korean, Persian, Spanish, and Burmese—before returning to pure sound. Each transformation extended the possibilities of meaning, reinforcing the idea that the viewer’s perception ultimately completes the cycle of translation.
About Artists
Jiayun Chen is a multidisciplinary artist who focuses on the humor and poetry of translation and explores the “aesthetics of failure” in cross-cultural communication. Her work is deeply influenced by her life experiences in China and the United States, and this dual cultural background gives her a unique artistic perspective. Language as a tool of communication has been a longstanding theme of her attention. Through various media such as installation, ceramics, painting and drawing, she delves into the subtle deviations in translation and how these deviations become opportunities to create new symbols and expressions. Rather than seeing translation as a fluid process, she focuses on the obstacles and errors involved in it as a means of discovering the creative space between language and culture.
Her early projects have addressed themes such as Chinese tattoos on Western bodies and “misunderstood English” phrases on Asian clothing. In USC Roski's solo exhibition Scattered All Over the Earth, she draws on the dislocation of translation to critique the power structure of language and envision a way of communicating that transcends the limits of grammar. In her recent solo exhibition Tat Skin Slip Tongue in Orlando, she continues this theme, using AI-generated images to show the tension between the beauty of Chinese and Western glyphs and the lack of meaning. Her work has been exhibited at Charlie James Gallery, Human Resources, FOCA (Fellows of Contemporary Art), and Hong Museum of Art. Her work has been exhibited at Charlie James Gallery, Human Resources, FOCA (Fellows of Contemporary Art), and the Hong Museum of Art.
Education Background:
BFA, CalArts
MFA, USC Roski School of Art and Design