Artist Biography
Hammer (Chenxi) Chen is a Bristol and Shanghai-based artist whose practice spans printmaking, installation and video. She works between print studios and exhibition spaces internationally.
Hammer’s work explores themes of memory and travel. Working primarily with copper photogravure etching, a rare process known for its rich tonal depth and archival qualities, she creates images that hover between documentation and recollection. The medium’s cinematic qualities evoke a sense of nostalgia, allowing her to explore how lived experiences are transformed through memory. Her images are not simply records of reality, rather, they are reconstructed memories shaped by personal experiences and collective narratives.
In 2017, Hammer founded Wait and Roll Printmaking Studio in Shanghai, a space dedicated to printmaking workshops and artistic exchange. From 2022 to 2023, she completed an MA in Multi-disciplinary Printmaking at UWE Bristol, where she further developed her expertise in printmaking.
Her work has been exhibited widely in galleries and art fairs across the UK and internationally, including the RA Summer Exhibition, the London Original Print Fair, and the International Original Print Exhibition. In September 2024, Hammer was invited to Gothenburg, Sweden, where she presented a solo exhibition at Grafik i Väst Gallery. Most recently, she presented her solo exhibition Light of Magic at Spike Island, Bristol.
Alongside her printmaking practice, Hammer also works across video, animation, and installation. Her installation Peeling was featured in Flora Fantastica, presented by Swatch during the Venice Biennale 2026 at Giardini Reali, Venice.
Awards
2025: DYCP Grant, Arts Council England, UK
2025: Seed Prize, Bainbridge Open Exhibition, UK
2024: John Purcell Paper Prize, Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair
2024: Highly Commended Prize, RBSA Print Prize Exhibition, RBSA Gallery
2024 Shortlisted for Jackson’s Art Prize
2024: Graduate Award for Flourish Award for Excellence in Printmaking,West Yorkshire Print Workshop
2023: Creativity Award, The Royal West of England Academy
2023: State of the Art award, Printmaking Today Magazine
2023: Bainbridge Print Prize, Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair
2022 Nomination for the Queen Sonja Print Award, Norway
Features
2024 Destination Unknown, Pressing Matters, Issue 26
2024: Memory as a Source of Inspiration: Hammer Chen's Exploration of Its Malleability and Inaccuracy, FAD Magazine, Publication Date: 11/01/2024
2023: Chenxi Chen: Capturing the Traces of Memory through Printmaking, Art China, Publication Date: 17/12/2023
2023: State of the Art, Printmaking Today Magazine Winter 2023 Issue 128
2023: Artist Spotlight: Hammer Chen, The Hand Magazine Issue 42
Exhibition
2026 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Art, London, UK
2026 Flora Fantastica,during the Venice Biennale, presented by Swatch, Giardini Reali, San Marco, Venice, Italy
2026 Light of Magic-Solo Exhibition, Spike Print Studio, Spike Island, Bristol, UK
2025 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Art, London, UK
2025 Paper Works, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol, UK
2025 Bainbridge Open, ASC Gallery, London, UK
2025 Imagined Memories -Duo-exhibition with Cathrine Alice, Northing Space, Bergen, Norway
2024 Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, Woolwich Works, London, UK
2024 International Original Print Exhibition, Bankside Gallery,London
2024 Solo Exhibition - Precious Fragments, Grafik i Väst, Gothenburg, Sweden
2024 RWA 171 Annual Open Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol, UK
2024 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Art, London, UK
2024 Jackson Art Prize, Bankside Gallery, London, UK
2024 The 13th Flourish Award for Excellence in Printmaking, West Yorkshire Print Workshop, UK
2024 RBSA Print Prize Exhibition,RBSA Gallery,Birmingham, UK
2024 First China Youth Print Biennale, Suzhou Art Museum, Jiangsu, China
2023 RWA 170 Annual Open Exhibition,Royal West of England Academy,Bristol,UK
2023 International Original Print Exhibition, Bankside Gallery,London
2023 Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair，Woolwich Works, London
2023 Summer Exhibition 2023, Royal Academy of Art, London
2023 London Original Print Fair, Somerset House, London
2023 Awagami International Mini-Print Exhibition,Hall of Awa Japanese Handmade Paper, Japan
2023 Small But Mighty, Bankside Gallery, London, UK
2023 Bainbridge Open 2023, ASC Gallery, London
2023 Open Open 2023, Chapel Arts Studios, Hampshire
2023 'We Remember' World Book Night, UWE Bower Ashton, Bristol
2020 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Art, London
2020 Singularity Plan Art Fair, Modern Art Museum, Shanghai, China
Photo Credit - Jo Hounsome