
Chao-Yi Chung is an independent Taiwanese artist currently residing in Edinburgh, Scotland. Born in Taiwan, Chung completed his Master’s degree at the University of Arts London in 2009 and is currently pursuing a PhD research at the Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh. His diverse practice spans illustration, graphic design, art direction, and painting, with works ranging from collaborations with publishers such as Locus Publishing Company to expansive acrylic paintings.
In 2010, Chung served as art director at Penetration Net Media Limited, a digital marketing firm based in Taipei, Taiwan. His artistic exploration centres around the practice of “Automatic Drawing”—an intuitive technique inspired by Carl Jung's concept of automatic writing, which captures spontaneous subconscious impulses on canvas without preconceived compositions.
Chung’s artworks emerge through an instinctive process, translating subconscious emotions, memories, and experiences into intricate, spontaneous lines, symbolic imagery, and abstract forms. Each visual element in his paintings echoes personal memories, creating resonances that evoke varied emotional responses from viewers, including joy, sadness, fear, and desire. His dynamic and spontaneous style is marked by overlapping imagery and fractal-like shapes that continuously transform and merge
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Chung has exhibited extensively, notably holding individual exhibitions titled “Automatic Drawing” in Taipei in 2011 and 2012, and participating in group exhibitions such as Gaisie Asia Taiwan in 2012 and 2013. He has also conducted numerous workshops across various artistic disciplines, including sketching, illustration, and digital painting.
Combining acrylic paints with traditional Chinese calligraphy ink, Chung dynamically bridges Eastern and Western artistic traditions. He believes visual expression is a universal human capacity and utilises Automatic Drawing both as a means of exploring his subconscious and as an ongoing process of self-assembly.