Today we’d like to introduce you to Yafei Liu.
Hi Yafei, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born and grew up in China and my first language is Chinese; I can write Chinese characters fluently; I am used to thinking in the so-called “Chinese way”, I don’t know if this is labeling myself, but so far, I have no problem with that. The race has always been a hot topic involving political correctness in the United States. Now, as I tread on this land with the mark of “I”, I feel its contradictions and struggles more tangibly. I used to have a vague resistance to places like Chinatown and Chinatown. I can feel the absurdity in my photos in DC, Chinatown, and Flushing. It’s like pasting two perfectly balanced paintings together, and it’s hard to say how twisted it is. Imagine the old men we often see sitting around playing chess on the side of the road in China being moved to a city park in New York, with tables and people, American-style buildings in the background, and flocks of fat pigeons feeding around them. If I had taken a close-up of the clothing and accessories shops scattered along the street in the style of late last century China and added a time filter, I might have suspected that the photo was taken in the old Luokou Clothing City.
This is not China, this is not the United States, and this is not New York, even if I see Chinese characters everywhere, their special fonts and typesetting will not make me feel familiar and intimate. Many Chinese see pictures of New York’s Chinatown and comment, “These people don’t blend in with local life!” “Chinese people should stay together less.” It’s kind of a loose concept. How do you fit in? Eat burgers and fries every day? Dress in American style? Or do you only communicate with the locals in English and deliberately minimize your social contact with your compatriots? But what’s the point of such integration? How can the gathering of Chinese people in a foreign country, where they are from the same roots, become something to be criticized? What’s to be laughed at for having a strong English accent? It’s just a tool for us foreigners to communicate.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Art path for me is absolutely not a smooth road! I was not an art student with professional training since young. When I was in high school in the United States, I was really confused about my future. I was told that STEM would be the best choice to choose as the career path, but I kind of hated the calculating and tech stuffs. Drawing and illustrating were always my favorite thing since I was a child. After reading an interview of an art school student, I was inspired and the thoughts about applying art school sparkled into my mind. That was the beginning of me pursuing art. All schoolmates around me told me it was not a good idea and suggested me to give up, it was extremely struggle for me to make the final decision. Later, preparing the application portfolio from the beginning is another biggest challenge for me at that time, I couldn’t count how many nights without sleeping and how many tears I shed over this matter. Fortunately, all the efforts paid back. I got admitted from 8 art schools in the US and I went to MICA, my dream school!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m an illustrator based in Baltimore, now I’m also studying as a graduate student at illustration practice program at MICA. My affection towards art is mainly attributed to (1) its function of expressing strong emotions derived from my mental illness or unique experiences; and (2) the idea of “speechlessly” shouting out for the vulnerable groups or minorities like myself by creating expressive and infectious artworks coupled with both narrative power and esthetic beauty. In fact, it is always exciting to know what I am doing really makes a difference through visual art forms as a silent but powerful medium in helping others. In order to help more people with traumatic sufferings through more impactful and sophisticated artworks, I decided to pursue my master’s to further improve the expressiveness and interaction of my artworks as well as to explore the possibilities of integrating interdisciplinary knowledge (e.g., psychology, philosophy and health science) into my personal style.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Draw my daily life and my personal thinking/pov into my illustration work. Being honest is the most significant thing for me as an illustrator, I always enjoy putting all my real thinking and opinion into my work, even sometimes these thoughts are poignant or traumatic.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: fffaye_l
