Chen Wen's works explore complex relationships between materials, form, and audience perception through natural materials and diverse artistic media. His choice of materials goes beyond personal reflection on nature and time—it interweaves with theories from art history, materials science, and sociology to create a rich philosophical and sensory experience.

Working primarily with wood, resin, and wool, Chen Wen's material choices reflect both his connection to the environment and his deep contemplation of human-nature relationships. His works reveal the contradictions and tensions in this relationship. Through art, Chen Wen explores these complexities, examining not just the materials' symbolic meaning but the cognitive challenges they present in contemporary art. This approach parallels the 20th-century minimalist movement, where artists like Donald Judd and Frank Stella emphasized matter's essence through geometric forms and industrial materials, stripped of decoration. In works like "Ti" and "K," Chen Wen uses minimalist yet symbolic forms to explore the interplay between reality, illusion, and misinterpretation, challenging viewers' perceptions and encouraging open-ended readings of his art.