Han Chai was born a remote industrial city on China’s northern border. Shaped by extreme climate, heavy industry, and waves of internal migration, the region formed the early social environment of her practice. Growing up within a working-class community marked by economic instability, she developed an awareness of how rapidly social visibility and security can shift.

As a teenager, Chai identified with the Shamate youth subculture, a community largely composed of migrant factory workers who used dramatic self-styling, online personas, and shared visual codes to assert identity within systems that rendered them largely invisible. This experience fostered a lasting interest in marginalised communities, social perception, and the fragile structures that define belonging.

Chai later moved to the United Kingdom to study, where her focus gradually shifted toward questions of structure, material behaviour, and narrative construction. Initially working through garment-based approaches, her practice began to adopt a sculptural logic, eventually leading her toward fine art.

Today, her work explores the intersection of labour, class, and cultural value. Drawing from personal history while engaging broader socio-political contexts, Chai’s practice examines how individuals navigate systems of visibility, control, and survival.