Hilo Chen was born in 1942 in Yilan, Taiwan. He graduated from Chung Yuan Christian University with a degree in Engineering. In 1968, Hilo went to Paris and New York. Within years, he has held solo exhibitions and joint exhibitions in New York, France, Canada, and the Netherlands, and has held several solo exhibitions at the Apollo Gallery in Taipei.

In his early years, Hilo left Taiwan for France and then settled down in New York. The urban life of New York inspired his interest in observing "people." Hilo explores the beauty of art through the people he has captured under the lens of the camera. He is best known for his photorealistic paintings of the female figure, including works like a woman in the beach, bathroom, and bedroom. Additionally, he is particularly interested in portraying beach women. He is good at using spray guns and brushes to express women's delicate skin.

Hilo is an internationally renowned painter with a surrealistic style. His works are collected in significant museums throughout the world, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.