EMBracing the Ocean artist-in-residence project

ChihChung Chang is a visual artist and cultural researcher based in the Netherlands and Taiwan. His art explores rapidly shifting environments such as ships, islands, water, and ports, uncovering universal experiences and the grey areas within the tensions among humanity, civilization, and nature as they continuously shape one another. During his EMBracing the Ocean residency, he will investigate antifouling paint and its role in port modernization, shipbuilding and marine pollution He will create a puzzle game to offer new methodologies and imaginative approaches to engage the public, particularly shipowners and industry professionals, encouraging problem solving and creative innovation for a more sustainable future.

ChihChung views the ocean as a worldview that reflects the state of terrestrial civilization in the Anthropocene. He considers water a medium that permeates both inner and outer worlds, embodying instability, transition, and anti-subjectivity—qualities that resonate with his homeland, Taiwan, shaped by a subtropical monsoon climate.

Narrative and storytelling serve as the foundation of Chang’s practice, with his works integrating meticulous craftsmanship across multiple media and formats, including site-specific projects and workshops. Since 2019, inspired by his father’s work in shipbuilding, Chang has investigated antifouling paint’s overlooked role in port modernization, shipbuilding, and marine pollution. In 2020, commissioned by the Taipei Fine Art Museum and supported by NTU’s Institute of Oceanography, he transformed this research into an escape room puzzle game, revealing East Asia’s hidden “toxic footprint.”

During his EMBracing the Ocean residency, he will expand this project to Northwest Europe, where sailing culture and ecological awareness are more deeply embedded. Through cross-disciplinary collaborations and emerging technologies, he aims to make this issue more accessible and engaging. By integrating experiential art with puzzle game design, the project seeks to spark dialogue and advocate for change. He will collaborate with Associate Professor Lena Granhag, and her antifouling and biofouling research group at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.