Ethan Chan

SAIC SHOWS 2026 GRADUATE EXHIBITIONS

Graduates

SAIC SHOWS 2026 GRADUATE EXHIBITIONS

Master of Fine Arts in Studio, Sculpture

Ethan Chan (b. 1997; Kenosha, WI) is a conceptual artist hailing from the Midwest investigating intimacy and absurdity through sculpture, writing, performance, and video. His work draws on art’s recurring ability to elevate the lowbrow and celebrate items and ideas labeled as pathetic or uncomfortable to highlight how vulnerability can emerge from humor and narrative. He is currently interested in how artwork can present and elevate personal intimacy, and exploring the intersection of the grave and the absurd.

Chan has exhibited his work at the California Center of the Arts, Escondido, CA; the Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA; Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA; Quint: ONE, Barrio Logan, CA; The Line Contemporary, London, UK; and The Room in Venice, Italy, among others.

Ethan Chan - Sauce-merica (for Jordan Karney)

Sauce-merica (for Jordan Karney), 2025, Sauce packets and cellophane tape, 10 x 6 ft.

A map of the U.S. recreated with each state composed with its supposed most popular condiment.

Ethan Chan - Ain't-merica (Made with Lile Kvantaliani)

Ain't-merica (Made with Lile Kvantaliani), 2025, Flags, framed photographs, single-channel videos, custom apparel and text, Dimensions variable

A fabricated narrative in which eight new states have formed in the United States mainland by the year 2500 was written to inform various artworks and infographics (including flags, maps, news segments, and gas station merchandise) of a version of America that is yet to exist. The following works are fictional.

Ethan Chan - Double-Double (Made with Gracie Moon)

Double-Double (Made with Gracie Moon), 2024, Inkjet print diptych, 28 x 40 in.

As a response to the “you all look alike” comment, using a list of male and female Asian American celebrities that Gracie and I have been said to look like, we digitally fused our faces with our respective look-alikes. The result was a pair of uncanny portraits of a man and woman who look nothing like ourselves or the celebrities used in the process.

Ethan Chan - The Bob Dylan Project (or Subterranean Homesick Bullshit)

The Bob Dylan Project (or Subterranean Homesick Bullshit), 2024, Music, suitcase tag, custom clock, Post-it, coat, paper, pills, stitched dollar bills and taxidermy, Dimensions variable

In 2023, Photoshop released their Generative Fill A.I. program, which was built to analyze photos and either remove or add objects into the background. I fed this program lyrics from Bob Dylan’s "Subterranean Homesick Blues." Without any background photo to analyze, Photoshop generated random images based on some of the words in the lyrics. I then attempted to recreate these images with objects in real life. The result is what a computer “sees” when it’s listening to Bob Dylan for the first time. The objects are presented with the song playing in the background.

Ethan Chan - (The High Five Project) (Made with Rex Delafkaran)

(The High Five Project) (Made with Rex Delafkaran), 2025 - ongoing, Inkjet print collage, 5 x 7 in. (per photo)

In the summer of 2025, my friend, Rex and I decided to drive from Chicago, Illinois to Southern California to visit both of our families. Using the Great American Road Trip as a vehicle for dérive-art, we wandered somewhat-aimlessly in the Southwest for four days sightseeing, collecting souvenirs, and writing before arriving to Los Angeles. Every time we stopped the car (for gas, food, or sleep), we performed and documented the same act of high fiving each other. The following work is a collaborative collection that documents a specific kind of temporary intimacy, as well as a universal act of friendship.

The High Five Project (Made with Rex Delafkaran), 2025 – ongoing, Single-channel video, 2 minutes and 45 seconds

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