Life & Work with Jingxuan “Jaja” Qi of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jingxuan “Jaja” Qi.

Hi Jingxuan “Jaja”, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m a filmmaker currently based in Atlanta, finishing my senior year at SCAD. Originally from an island city of Zhejiang, China, but I have moved to a lot of cities and countries, including Germany. I’ve been building my path independently for quite a while, both creatively and personally.

My work is driven by a strong sense of visual control, shaped by an editorial background but extended across fashion styling, photography, and videography, where I maintain strong visual control from concept to execution. My practice in styling has also been recognized and featured by Vogue on multiple occasions, which further expanded how I think about image-making as a cohesive visual system.

Growing up in an environment deeply influenced by history, I’ve developed a lasting interest in reinterpreting ancient Chinese imagery: not as preservation, but as reconstruction.

I often bring in elements of queer and subcultural aesthetics, allowing these references to exist outside of their original context and form something more ambiguous, and sometimes more personal.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t been a completely smooth journey.

When I first decided to pursue an artistic path, my parents were not fully supportive of me leaving my small island hometown to develop independently. That created an early tension between expectation and personal direction.

I eventually moved to a major metropolitan city in China, where I began building my own creative network. Through working and connecting in Hengdian, often referred to as the “Hollywood of China”, I met many industry professionals and peers who shaped my early understanding of filmmaking and production culture.

Looking back, I’m grateful that I had already proven myself in high school, which gave me the credibility to later pursue studies in the United States with external support, including sponsorships and scholarships.

There were moments of doubt along the way, especially when the path was uncertain. But in hindsight, those uncertainties always seemed to push me further into committing to my own direction, rather than away from it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a filmmaker and visual artist currently based in Atlanta, working primarily across photography, videography, and post-production. My practice is driven by a strong editorial mindset; I think in terms of structure, rhythm, and how meaning is constructed through image sequencing and visual control.

While my background is rooted in post-production, my work has gradually expanded into directing visual projects from concept to execution. I am particularly interested in maintaining authorship over the full image-making process, from styling and composition to shooting and editing, as I see these not as separate roles but as interconnected layers of a single language.

A defining aspect of my work is the way I reconstruct cultural imagery. Growing up in an environment influenced by historical narratives, I developed a lasting interest in ancient Chinese visual references, not as static heritage, but as material that can be reinterpreted and displaced. I often combine these elements with queer and subcultural aesthetics, creating imagery that exists between familiarity and distortion, structure and ambiguity.

What I am most proud of is not a single project, but the gradual formation of a consistent visual language, which allows me to translate internal tension into controlled yet emotionally open imagery.

What sets me apart is this duality: a highly controlled approach to image-making, combined with an interest in instability and unresolved emotion. I am not interested in simply capturing images, but in constructing visual systems that hold tension without fully resolving it.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I’m currently open to collaboration across film, photography, and visual development projects, particularly those that involve strong visual direction and a clear conceptual or emotional framework.

I enjoy working with creatives who are interested in building a cohesive visual language, whether that’s through directing, cinematography, styling, or post-production. My approach is highly collaborative, but also grounded in a strong sense of visual control and narrative structure.

In terms of roles, I am especially focused on opportunities in AICG, the film industry, and fashion photography, while continuing to develop independent visual projects as a filmmaker. I’m also open to assisting or contributing to projects where I can engage with both production and post-production processes.

The most meaningful collaborations for me are those that allow space for experimentation while still maintaining a clear artistic intention.

Support, for me, often means visibility and connection, sharing my work, introducing me to relevant creative communities, or collaborating on projects that push visual storytelling forward. Please feel free to reach out to me through any social media I provided.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jajaqi.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erinqinsansar/
• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jajaqi

Image Credits
Ying Hu, Ran Xie, Kaila Trice