Creative Breakthroughs from a Global Perspective: A Comprehensive Exploration of Visual Artist Shijie Hai’s International Art Endeavours

In this detailed dialogue with visual artist Shijie Hai, we delve into his life immersed in a cross-cultural milieu and the profound influence this has had on his artistry and professional trajectory. Born in Taiyuan, Shanxi, China, in 1992, Shijie Hai pursued his academic journey at the University of Birmingham and the Royal College of Art in the United Kingdom, where he attained his bachelor’s and master’s qualifications. Distinguished as a pre-eminent visual artist, he has been honoured with prestigious global accolades including the German IF Design Award, the German Red Dot Award, and the Taiwan Golden Dot Design Award. Moreover, he established Pacman Art & Design Co. Ltd. and Studio Office design studio in Shanghai, China, and his art and design works have been showcased in numerous international exhibitions.

In the ensuing conversation, Shijie Hai expresses his passion for contemporary art and outlines his path to becoming a visual artist and designer. He reminisces about being captivated by contemporary art during his UK studies, and how engaging with fellow emerging artists and attending various lectures and exhibitions enriched his artistic insight and creative orientation. Following his academic endeavours, he dedicated himself to the visual arts, focusing on illustration and graphic design, before launching his own design studio.

Specific interview questions are as follows:

A: I was formally introduced to and studied contemporary art during my studies in the UK. Through my undergraduate and postgraduate studies and training, I was fortunate enough to meet many outstanding young artists and participate in lectures and exhibitions by renowned artists and scholars. These experiences have profoundly influenced my professional learning and creative direction. After graduation, I devoted myself to illustration, graphic design and other types of visual arts work until I founded my own design studio, studio office, in 21 years. Our studio is creatively focused and at the same time is a company dedicated to providing customer service to the marketplace.

2: Can you share a specific moment or scene from the first piece of art you remember that stood out to you? How did it affect you?

The collection was inspired by the core concept of STAFFONLY AUCTION: “Vanity is My Favourite Sin”. The character’s styling is based on the way people take selfies on social media platforms, and the character’s “narcissism” and “vanity” are presented through flirty styling, bitchy expressions and flashy “non-mainstream” bangs. The character is “narcissistic” and “vain”. In the design process, we hope to design the virtual image as a toy doll or a cartoon character, in order to dilute and absolve the sense of guilt brought by vanity. Modern people live their lives in social networks, and vanity is infinitely amplified through the screen. Our goal is to re-examine ourselves and sincerely accept and understand “vanity” in today’s context.

4: You have explored themes such as vanity is not a sin and vanity is a small thing in the creation of your Being Liked Vanity Boy series of visual works. Why do you think it’s important to emphasize these feelings in your work?

A: The main narrative of the series revolves around “Vanity is My Favourite Sin”, which explores the gaze and self-gaze of being in a social network in a contemporary context. Detailed ideas have already been mentioned in the previous question. I argue that as times have changed, our conception of vanity has fundamentally changed and vanity is no longer just a term with a pejorative connotation. However, not everyone recognizes and understands this, so we need to emphasize and reinforce it in our work.

5: Can you tell us about a particularly challenging piece or series you have created and how you overcame the process?

A: My creative experiences have been filled with a variety of challenges, some projects have been technically challenging and others have been conceptually and content challenging. In creating Being Liked Vanity Boy, we faced both of these challenges. In the early stages of concept creation, we attempted to design the vanity-related avatar as a realistic style character, with movement and styling references to ancient Greek and Roman style sculptures. However, this direction was overly obsessed with technical details, leading to repeated failures. In the end, we decided to overturn the previous concept and go back to a cartoonish style. Difficulties encountered in my creations are usually overcome by a lot of repeated attempts.

6: Can you share what subsequent impact your Red Dot Design Award and IF Design Award works in Berlin, Germany, which you are in both 2022 and 2023, have had on society and your personal significance or value?

This interview reveals Shijie Hai’s versatility as a visual artist, from his educational background to his creative practice to his unique perspective on social issues. Through his cross-cultural learning and working experiences, Shijie Hai has established a distinctive voice and style within the field of visual arts, and his work has not only gained widespread international recognition, but has also had a profound impact on the art world and society.