Mel Chin was born in Houston, Texas. He is known for the broad range of approaches in his art, including works that require multi-disciplinary, collaborative teamwork and works that conjoin cross-cultural aesthetics with complex ideas.  He developed Revival Field (1989-ongoing), a project that pioneered the field of “green remediation,” the use of plants to remove toxic, heavy metals from the soil.  His nationwide Fundred Dollar Bill Project continues to engage and present the public will for an end of childhood lead-poisoning. Mel Chin is an artist resistant to any branding that may fence in his capacity to execute iconic sculptures in any known medium, engage in any territory toxic or social, encourage in any alternative field, the expansion and generational transfer of ideas.

His work is exhibited extensively in the US and abroad and was documented in the popular PBS program, Art 21: Art of the 21st Century. Mel is the recipient of numerous national and international awards, including four honorary doctorates. A traveling retrospective exhibition of his work, titled ReMatch, opened at the New Orleans Museum of Art in February, 2014. As a follow up to ReMatch which explored his mutative strategies, a solo comprehensive survey, “ALL OVER the PLACE ” organized by No Longer Empty and the Queens Museum, is being planned for citywide manifestations for the Spring of 2018.