Chen Cheng

The artist began his career in manga in 1984 with a series published in the China Times Weekly. Over time, he became known for his unique style combining traditional Chinese brush painting techniques with the use of vibrant colors. Chen’s work can primarily be categorized into the fantasy, martial arts and pan-Asian historical genres. In 2000, he collaborated with Hong Kong publisher Jade Dynasty to create a manga series based on stories from the popular Pili glove puppetry TV show. Glove puppetry is an art form that originated in mainland China's Fujian province during the 17th century. After debuting in Japan he became the first non-Japanese artist to win the Japan Cartoonists Association Award for Excellence In 2012, Chen attended France’s Angouleme International Comics Festival, seeking to reach audiences in Europe and Southeast Asia through German and Thai language editions of his comics. In addition to his printed works, Chen also delved into the digital realm, cooperating with Japanese game-maker Game Arts on a special edition of the popular game “Romance of Three Kingdoms,” which featured characters based on the illustrator’s designs. He died March 26 from a heart attack at the age of 58. (Source: Taiwan Today) At the Comicfestival München (Munich) 2019, publisher "chinabooks" organized an exhibition on the artist's work. Moreover, they held a stage talk in English, which they describe as the following: Explore the fantastic body of work of "Asia´s Treasure" Chen Uen (1958-2017), with the help of long-time friend, agent and publisher Aho Huang. He is talking about Chen Uen´s life and work, his experiences as an artist living in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and China, always looking for interesting topics, new ways of further developing his magnificent technical skills and mastering illustration and comic art. The panel was made possible by wonderful presenter Paul Gravett and translator Peter Wiedehage.