Global Talent Art Prize (4th edition)
2nd Winner
Interview / Portfolio: Zoe Sijia
28.08.2023
Coy, Digital,Acrylic, 841×594 mm, 2021
Can you recall the moment you knew you wanted to be an artist? What made you interested in arts?
The concept of art started to take shape during my high school years. Before that, I enjoyed watching animations and reading comics, starting back in elementary school. I used to think that the inspiration for learning art came from these sources. However, when I entered university, I encountered classmates with various aspirations and preferences, and I delved into art history. The overall atmosphere at the university seemed to celebrate the masters and encouraged artistic experimentation. Until my sophomore year, I greatly admired the “artistic circle” – they discussed art and philosophy, and I felt they were on a different level. In college, I chose to major in illustration, prompted by a friend who helped me understand what creativity truly meant. After much contemplation, I realized I wanted to maintain a childlike innocence and resistance to the world through my work. For me, creating art or dealing with life’s experiences is like transforming the bitter, sweet, good, and bad into insignificance. Finding pure joy in the process of creation, I naturally continued to paint. Now, I feel that I can use my art to document life, which brings me a sense of happiness. Even though the creative process can be painful, the satisfaction of completing a piece is undeniable. To keep experiencing this fulfillment, I will keep painting without hesitation.
Savage One, The One Who Runs Barefoot, mixed materials (plaster, wool, expanding foam, wire, newspaper, wood), 176×160 cm, 2023
Tell us about your artistic process and the way you brainstorm ideas? What do you usually start with when creating? How do ideas become artworks?
I typically embark on the creative process with a mindset devoid of mundane concerns. My creative urge tends to surge after interactions with bright or gentle light, a gentle breeze, the scent of foliage, or when I’m in the company of people with whom I can empathize. I use digital tools for drafting, daily sketches, and idea jotting. It’s convenient, easy to edit, and very friendly for generating initial visual concepts. However, when faced with more serious creative endeavors, I lean towards “traditional painting.” This preference might stem from the habit of drawing on paper from my childhood, allowing me to dedicate more patience to traditional methods. To brainstorm ideas, I immerse myself in the sights and sounds of the world around me, allowing emotions and sensations to influence my thought process. From there, I move on to sketching, experimenting with compositions and forms. Gradually, the essence of an idea takes shape, and I refine it further. Once I feel connected to the concept emotionally, I begin translating it onto the canvas. In essence, my creative process is a journey from the external world to my internal emotions, and finally, to the canvas where I give these feelings tangible form. This process of transformation is a personal and meditative experience, a dance between the practicality of digital tools and the soulful connection of traditional painting.
Savage One, The One Who Runs Barefoot, mixed materials (plaster, wool, expanding foam, wire, newspaper, wood), 176×160 cm, 2023
Do you have or have had a mentor or other special person to guide you?
During my graduate studies, my mentor Richard left a lasting impression on me. I was particularly fond of how he encouraged me to enrich my artwork using multiple mediums. His guidance inspired me to begin with illustrations, creating visuals that transcend the flat canvas and initiate a multidimensional dialogue between the viewer and the artwork. It’s like orchestrating scenes for a film. I employed a childlike aesthetic and humor to convey feelings of detachment and conflicts within the world. Using ceramics as a thread, I posed thought-provoking questions, inviting viewers to contemplate deeper meanings. My mentor’s influence emboldened me to push the boundaries of art, exploring the interplay between different media and the resonance they create.
Brokenness, stained earthenware, glaze, 19.1×9 cm, 2023
How has your style changed over the years? If yes, could you explain why?
My artistic style began to shift during my second year of graduate studies. It was also due to the encouragement from my mentor to explore different mediums for my creations. At that time, I embarked on a project that involved analyzing my own journey from experiencing “cultural confusion” to living in various places, ultimately finding inner freedom through acceptance of others’ differences. Growing up in China and Japan intensified my feelings of detachment, which only deepened as I lived in different countries. This change in environment also influenced my evolving artistic style. As my experiences shifted, my creative style transformed alongside them. Through this process, my artwork became a vehicle for expressing the conflicts I perceived within the world using my own sense of detachment as a tool. Thus, my work taught me how to convey an awareness of the conflicts in the world through my personal experiences of detachment.
Delulu, stained earthenware, glaze, 4×6 cm, 2023
Your artistic practice is very extensive and includes different mediums. What kind of message do you wish to convey in your art?
I employs a variety of media including sculpture and print, to create symbolic associations in my art. My focus is on marginalised individuals and the themes of nostalgic childhood fantasy and the subconscious,which serve as a form of escapis and resistance to consumerism and societal expectations. Through the use of vibrant colours, intricate patterns, and symbolic imagery, I aims to depict the struggles and triumphs of outsiders and inspire empathy and understanding through my art.
An Outsider, stained earthenware, glaze, 3×5 cm, 2023
Tell us more about what project you are currently working on?
I’m currently working on a sculpture project that features an old, weathered wooden ladder. In this piece, I aim to encapsulate my personal journey of transformation. The figures at the top of the ladder symbolize both my past and present selves. They are actively climbing, breaking free from past constraints, and embodying the potential to overcome pain, embrace freedom, and exude self-assurance. Using a childlike aesthetic and humor, I convey feelings of detachment and conflicts within the world. Creating a cohesive and impactful piece while mastering the selected materials has presented quite a challenge. The efforts to merge gypsum and wool, along with the resulting instability of the artwork, have proven to be the most significant hurdles in my creative process.I’m currently working on a sculpture project that features an old, weathered wooden ladder. In this piece, I aim to encapsulate my personal journey of transformation. The figures at the top of the ladder symbolize both my past and present selves. They are actively climbing, breaking free from past constraints, and embodying the potential to overcome pain, embrace freedom, and exude self-assurance. Using a childlike aesthetic and humor, I convey feelings of detachment and conflicts within the world. Creating a cohesive and impactful piece while mastering the selected materials has presented quite a challenge. The efforts to merge gypsum and wool, along with the resulting instability of the artwork, have proven to be the most significant hurdles in my creative process.
Her World and a Doll, digital, print, 591×841 mm, 2022
What will be your next project?
I’m steering away from serious themes for my upcoming project. Currently, I’m toying with the idea of creating something fun, whimsical, and perhaps even comical – an artwork featuring a dog racing through the scene. Or, the concept might exist as a cocoon-like shell, a meaningless coordinate axis and zero scale. I can weave into it the essence I wish to convey, no matter the spatial relationship or form it takes. I firmly believe that the true power of a work stems from the belief its creator invests in it. Yet, those around me are such immensely powerful creators themselves. An artist must believe and be convinced of what their work expresses; they have to convince themselves first before they can persuade others. Therefore, whether it’s love or hate, satisfaction or melancholy, or even a muddled train of thought that baffles the self, it should be spoken aloud, resolutely. Expression can often be vague and layered, but it cannot be vague in itself.
Authentic bless of love, digital, acrylic, 594×841 mm, 2020
What is your dream project?
My dream project would be a series of work I produce is only in part for myself, in part for others to discover for themselves; to examine and to feel how they wish to.
There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you?
I’m steering away from serious themes for my upcoming project. Currently, I’m toying with the idea of creating something fun, whimsical, and perhaps even comical – an artwork featuring a dog racing through the scene. Or, the concept might exist as a cocoon-like shell, a meaningless coordinate axis and zero scale. I can weave into it the essence I wish to convey, no matter the spatial relationship or form it takes. I firmly believe that the true power of a work stems from the belief its creator invests in it. Yet, those around me are such immensely powerful creators themselves. An artist must believe and be convinced of what their work expresses; they have to convince themselves first before they can persuade others. Therefore, whether it’s love or hate, satisfaction or melancholy, or even a muddled train of thought that baffles the self, it should be spoken aloud, resolutely. Expression can often be vague and layered, but it cannot be vague in itself.
Deptford Monster, digital, acrylic, 594×841 mm, 2020
What is art for?
Art is like a person floating on a vast sea while lying on their back. Sometimes, it may feel dizzying, even frightening, but most of the time, it’s a tranquil and serene experience that’s difficult to put into words.
Thanks for the opportunity to interview you as the 2nd Prize Winner of the Global Talent Art Prize (4th edition). Are there any final thoughts, in particular for the ones who would like to follow your way?
Stay true to your unique style, keep reading, keep exploring, and engage in conversations with interesting friends.