Photographer's Profile

Tea Chen

GEBIS, Canada

Tea Chen is a photographer, videographer, English instructor, student of Teacher Zhen-Ru, and Buddhist monk of GEBIS. Ordained in 2008 and arriving on Prince Edward Island in 2010, he has spent over a decade creating visual works for Buddhist monasteries across PEI and Asia. Originally from Taiwan, he grew up and worked on PEI—often seen as a “come‑from‑away,” he still calls the Island home. He integrates his training in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy—especially its rigorous analytical study of scriptures—into both his teaching and artistic practice. Tea’s visual style moves between two distinct aesthetics: highly saturated colors that convey emotional intensity, and quiet black‑and‑white tones that highlight form, stillness, and inner reflection. His works also include documentary films featuring monastic life, such as The Hong Kong Guy, Legend of the Divine Bow, and Warrior. Through these works, he invites viewers to slow down, observe, and reconnect with both the outer world and their own inner values. In 2025, he won the Category Winner award in the Celebrate PEI Agriculture Photo Contest for Tractor on the Milky Way, later featured in the Island Farmer in Spring 2026.