Yen Cha

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Recent Work:
Roles in the Hotel
2026

Waiting in False Hope
2026Waiting in False Hope explores how grief can disrupt our sense of time, leaving us attached to the false hope that our loved ones might return. Through this longing, even imagined forms of hope can temporarily ease the heaviness of absence and allow us to hold onto unfinished conversations.

Roles in the Hotel
2026Roles in the Hotel explores how people and environments contribute to a larger internal structure through relationships, responsibilities, and a sense of belonging rather than existing as a singular self. However, the piece also reflects on Tarciea where the tension between the desire for connection and the fear of abandonment coexist.

Silent Treason
2025Silent Treason explores how betrayal can grow silently within groups that appear unified, whether religious or social groups. Manipulation, fear, ambition, and silence are symbolized by each four animal-masked characters, where together, they reveal how trust can break even in communities that were meant to be safe and united.

Two Communities, One Home
2025Two Communities, One Home is the exploration of navigating myself in two cultures that shape my ongoing search for identity. My physical and spiritual roots connect me to Korea, even though education and knowledge are deeply informed by Canadian histories.

Multi Persona
2025Multi Persona reflects my multi personality. In society, each individual shows their one main persona that they are known for, and I am known for being a shy person. Motherly, childish, aloof, and rebel are connected to the shy by the red yarn, representing the human blood vines, showing these five are intertwined in one body.

Caged
2024I expressed myself as a crow which gets misunderstood by their labels of being bad luck and evil, despite wanting to be known for other titles. In the same way, social titles often confined me, creating pressure from expectations to be fulfilled in order to maintain the title. This work explores the struggle between labels and one self’s ability.

Pungmul Play
2023Drawing inspiration from Benjamin Shine’s material-based works and Korean ink wash paintings, I utilized tulle on canvas to recreate the flow of ink. Focused on Pungmul Play, a traditional Korean dance and musical form, which highlight the rhythmic motion of performers and the four primary instruments they play.

Waiting in False Hope Side
Sizes: 5 x 4 inch
Materials: Textile on Canvas
Prices: $10 CAD + Free shipping

Roles in the Hotel Side: Jun
Sizes: 11 x 12 inch
Materials: Textile on Canvas
Prices: $65 CAD + Free shipping

Roles in the Hotel Side: Luna
Sizes: 13.5 x 12.5 inch
Materials: Textile on Canvas
Prices: $65 CAD + Free shipping

Silent Treason: The Goat
Sizes: 14.5 x 6.5 x 5.75 inch
Materials: Textile soft sculpture on handmade stand with oil paint
Prices: $154 CAD + Free shipping

Silent Treason: The Elk
Sizes: 15.5 x 10.5 x 8.5 inch
Materials: Textile soft sculpture on handmade stand with oil paint
Prices: $193 CAD + Free shipping

Silent Treason: The Hare
Sizes: 15.5 x 11.5 x 5.5 inch
Materials: Textile soft sculpture on handmade stand with oil paint
Prices: $183 CAD + Free shipping

Silent Treason: The Fox
Sizes: 13 x 11 x 11.5 inch
Materials: Textile soft sculpture on handmade stand with oil paint
Prices: $198 CAD + Free shipping

Luck Bloom in Us
Sizes: 10 x 10 inch
Materials: Fleece on canvas
Prices: $65 CAD + Free shipping

Caged
Sizes: 20 x 24 inch
Materials: Textile and yarn on canvas
Prices: $65 CAD + Free shipping

Gwen's OC

Mizuki Akiyama Kitty from Colourful Stage

Venti from Genshin Impact

Sanrio Characters

Artist Bio

Yena Cha, preferred as Yen (b.2001, South Korea), is a self-taught textile soft sculpture artist, whose practice centers on chibi-inspired figurative dolls on handmade stands. Through this medium, she explores her identity, storytelling, and the longing held within wishes through Tarciea Mythology, as known as her personal mythology. The mythology contains twelve recurring characters from her inner world, a group named Tarciean, her imaginative family.While Tarciean’s form may appear playful and lighthearted, they reflect on vulnerability, memory, and longing. Each piece acts as an intimate self-portrait as well as an open invitation, inviting viewers to reconnect with memories of their own childhood imaginary companions. Besides being an artist, she likes to call herself the Mistress of Tarciea because she aims to create a safe space where her and her recurring characters from her inner world can share their stories without judgement.Before Yen became an artist, she was interested in becoming an author, but her path had shifted into visual art where she now holds a Bachelor of Design in Illustration and Character Design from Alberta University of the Arts, giving her to combine character design, illustration, stories, and textile to her works. Her first group exhibition was during 2023 summer in Fort Calgary for their Flip the Script, which led her to apply to other art shows. Yen is currently focusing on expanding her doll art practice through different opportunities.

Artist Statement

Everyone has had an imaginary companion at least once in childhood; a silent friend who filled the empty spaces. For me, these companions never truly left; instead, they grew up alongside me.I am a self-taught textile soft sculpture artist, creating chibi-inspired figurative dolls on handmade stands. These small dolls, influenced by the Japanese art style characterized by exaggerated, childlike forms, are crafted through a combination of hand and machine sewing. Through them, I explore identity, personal storytelling, and the longing within wishes through Tarciea Mythology, aka personal myth. Each doll represents twelve recurring characters from my inner world, a group called Tarciean, who are my imaginative family. They allowed me to build an ongoing world through sculpture.Every member of Tarciean is made from a mix of new and used fabrics, selected as if they were real people wearing everyday clothing. This brings the dolls to be stand-ins for myself and the Tarciean, embedding layers of symbolism, personal narrative, and emotional resonance within each piece.Although the dolls seem playful, they reflect vulnerability, memory, and longing. The childlike dolls are a reflection on childhood memories and the longing as a child to physically be with the Tarciean, who gives comfort. Each work functions as an intimate self-portrait and an invitation, encouraging viewers to reconnect with memories of their own imaginary companions. Besides working in a medium that is familiar and historically tied to comfort, I like to call myself Mistress of Tarciea since I aim to create a safe space where the Tarciean and I can share our stories without judgement.