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Chen Chieh-Jen (1960-) was born in Taoyuan, Taiwan, and graduated from vocational high school. He currently lives and works in Taipei, Taiwan. In the 1980s during the period martial law period, Chen challenged the political system through performance art. After martial law was lifted in 1987, Chen went into creative hibernation, which ended in 1996 when he started to create art again. He is currently a world-renowned avant-garde artist. A large number of Chen Chieh-Jen's works created in the late 1980s were filled with much amply experimental performance art. Later on, his works mainly consisted of historical photographs treated with computer-assisted post-production. "The Revolt in the Soul & Body" series, being one such example, overturns the fathoming of historical truth via a potent, powerful visual impact and prompts a fresh reflection exposing history, power, human nature, and domination. Chen Chieh-Jen is known for his avant-garde style marked by trailblazing ideas and visually compelling works.
"Factory" is part of a series created in 2003 against a backdrop of Taiwan changing from being the "World Factory" in 1960s to the 1990s, an era of capital transfer. The work is a reflection on the predicament and fate of laborers. In this series, Chen invited unemployed female laborers to return to the long-deserted, defunct factory sites to "work" there and pose for pictures on the premises. Mixed in the visuals are snippets of black-and-white documentaries of Taiwan in earlier periods. The images are laden with allegorical meaning.

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