Showcase

Where False Dreams Fade

Yanmeng Chen

Profile picture of Yanmeng Chen
Yanmeng Chen / Marbel (b. 2000) is an artist working across media such as video, sculpture, and 3D modelling. Deeply influenced by Buddhist philosophy, her practice explores themes of impermanence, the cycle of life and death, and the illusion of a fixed self. Drawing upon concepts such as samsara (the cycle of rebirth), anatman (non-self), and pratītyasamutpāda (dependent origination), Marbel creates immersive works that invite quiet contemplation and inward reflection.Her installations often evoke a sense of organic transformation, portraying life not as a linear path but as a continuous process of becoming and dissolving. By incorporating subtle materials and flowing forms, she aims to represent the ephemeral and interconnected nature of existence, encouraging viewers to sense their own place within a vast and ever-shifting world. Marbel sees art as a meditative vessel—an interface between the inner and outer worlds—where spiritual inquiry can unfold beyond language. Her work resists finality and embraces ambiguity, mirroring the Buddhist understanding that all phenomena are in constant flux and ultimately empty of inherent essence.Through this approach, she hopes to bring out a deeper awareness of time, self, and the invisible threads that bind all living beings. By offering moments of stillness and openness, she encourages a shared human experience rooted in compassion, transience, and interconnection.
Yanmeng Chen / Marbel (b. 2000) is an artist working across media such as video, sculpture, and 3D m...

This work explores the nature of reality and illusion through a Zen Buddhist lens. Structured as a three-part video—infant, middle age, and old age—it traces the evolution of delusion: from primal ignorance (avidyā), to the rigidity of fixed views (drsti), to the attachment to past mind (persistence of memory).

Each stage reflects a different mode of entanglement with "false appearances," questioning what we take as real. Life appears monumental, yet beneath it lies emptiness, confusion, and desire—constructs that both deceive and define us. So I project the video onto a futuristic, altar-like installation that evokes the human body, at once spiritual and rational, reaching outward yet stumbling inward.

Final work

It's another view of the futuristic, altar-like installation with a cone- shaped water container.
It's a clip of the video work ------ 3d modelling melting ice with an infant inside.
It's another view of the futuristic, altar-like installation with a cone- shaped water container.

Share this project

Where False Dreams Fade

This work explores the nature of reality and illusion through a Zen Buddhist lens. Structured as a three-part video—infant, middle age, and old age—it traces the evolution of delusion: from primal ignorance (avidyā), to the rigidity of fixed views (drs...

A link to this page has been added to your clipboard

Browse related work