Tofer Chin (b. 1979 Los Angeles, CA)
Tofer Chin is a multidisciplinary artist, based in Los Angeles, whose practice spans painting, sculpture, large-scale public murals and site-specific installations.
Rooted in geometric abstraction, his work investigates urbanization, ecological shifts and the tension between permanence and impermanence. Drawing inspiration from architecture, natural elements, and the urban landscape, Chin uses color, shadow and form to explore the interplay between the visible and the concealed, prompting viewers to reflect on both external environments and internal states.
A California native, Chin’s practice has long engaged questions of materiality, construction, consumerism and urban growth in relation to the climate crisis. His work incorporates elemental processes – such as folding canvas or burning wood – that reveal each material’s transformative qualities and underscore the dialogue between human intervention and nature. Recently, his exploration of wildfire landscapes has deepened this inquiry, examining both the absence and the profound presence left in their wake. Through scale, perspective, and shifting light, his works generate immersive experiences that challenge perception and invite discovery.
Born in Los Angeles in 1979, Chin received a BFA in Fine Arts from Otis College of Art and Design in 2002 and was awarded the California Community Foundation Fellowship for the Visual Arts in 2019. He has produced public installations for Los Angeles International Airport, the Michelle and Barack Obama Sports Complex in Los Angeles, Compound in Long Beach and Oregon Institute of Technology. Chin has exhibited at the Schneider Museum of Art in Oregon, Southern Guild in Los Angeles, LAXART in Los Angeles, Shoshana Wayne in Santa Monica, Baik+Khneysser in Los Angeles, Guerrero Gallery in Los Angeles, Compound in Long Beach, Reina Sofia National Museum in Madrid, and Museum of Image and Sound in São Paulo.
Curriculum Vitae
Tofer Chin
b. 1979 Los Angeles, CA
Education
2002 BFA, Otis College of Art and Design,
LA, CA
Awards
2019 CCF Fellowship for the Visual Artists
Selected Public Commissions
2025 Two, Southern Guild, LA, CA
2022 Tides, Michelle and Barack Obama,
Sports Complex, LA, CA, DCA
Horizon, GLCO Brooklyn, New York
2021 Opening, LAX Airport, LA, CA,
DCA / LAWA
Shifts, CEET/Oregon Tech, Klamath
Falls, OR, Oregon Arts Commission
2020 Gateway, Compound, Long Beach, CA
Compound / Lauri Firstenberg
Expansion No.1, Netflix HQ, LA, CA,
DCA / Netflix / Le Basse Projects
2019 Pillars, Maywood High School, LA, CA,
LAUSD / Lifewtr
Intentions, LAX Airport, DCA, LA, CA
LAWA / DCA
Progression, The Standard DTLA,
Frieze LA / Lifewtr
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2024 THERE IS ANOTHER WORLD, AND
IT IS IN THIS ONE, Compound, Long
Beach, CA
2017 8, Schneider Museum of Art, Ashland,
OR
2015 4 Keys, mural, LA><ART|Slanguage,
LA, CA
2014 One, RH Contemporary Art, New York,
NY
2013 Ar, Lu Magnus, New York, NY
2012 Totally, Lu Magnus, New York, NY
2011 Fourteen Black, Parque Lage,
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025 United State, Southern Guild, LA, CA
2024 Graceful Cadaver, Elegant Carcass,
GGLA, LA, CA
2023 lluminate LA: Collective Memory
Installation, Grand Park, LA, CA
2021 Domestic Ritual, Baik+Khneysser, LA,
CA
2017 Preview, AAD, Abu Dhabi
2014 In-Situ, Shoshana Wayne, Santa Monica,
CA
2013 Open Canvas, Absolut, San Francisco,
CA
Black and White, New Image Art,
LA, CA
2012 In What Distant Deep or Skies,
Lu Magnus, NY
2011 The Pleasure’s All Mine, Lu Magnus, NY
2010 Nova, Museum of Image and Sound,
São Paulo, Brazil
2008 Out, Reina Sofia National Museum,
Madrid, Spain
Selected Curatorial
2024 When the Veil Thins, group exhibition,
curated by Tofer Chin + Mari Orkenyi,
Compound, Long Beach, CA
Selected Visiting Artist Lectures
2024 Tofer Chin and Joey Lico in
Conversation, Compound,
Long Beach, CA
Art For All - Family Workshop,
Compound, Long Beach, CA
2021 Art For All Workshops, Compound,
Long Beach, CA
2020 Virtual Studio Visit, The Cultivist, LA
2019 Mural workshop, Maywood Academy
High School, Maywood, CA
2015 Artist talk/workshop, Slanguage
LA><ART, LA
2014 Lecture/mural workshop, Converse, LA
2011 Lecture, Escola de Artes, Rio de Janeiro
Selected Artist Residencies
2017 AAD, Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2014 Maderas Village, San Juan del Sur,
Nicaragua
2011 ®NOVA, Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil
Selected Publications
2025 VoyageLA
2024 Hypebeast
2022 Metropolis
2021 Hypebeast
2020 Forbes
2019 Frieze
2018 Juxtapoz
Selected Films
Compound: THERE IS ANOTHER WORLD…
Frieze: Tofer Chin Mural for Frieze LA