Syrian artist Abdulrahman Naanseh (b. 1991) learned Arabic calligraphy with the support of his father, a self-taught calligrapher. is an Artist Protection Fund alumni and the 2022 Artist-in-Residence at George Mason University’s School of Art.
INTERVIEW | Xiaohan Jiang
Jiang Xiaohan is a painter and poet from China, currently based in Chicago. Drawing inspiration from memories of the past and visions of imagination, Xiaohan paints the nostalgic bonds between her homeland's landscapes and nature; through her personal experiences, she explores the pursuit of faith and self-redemption against the backdrop of East Asian cultural and political contexts.
INTERVIEW | Qiurui Du
Qiurui Du is a Chinese artist and curator. He is committed to giving voice to young Asian artists and curating exhibitions to showcase their work. In his work, he observes people's lives from his unique perspective and brings the hustle and bustle of unique experiences around him into his works. Qiurui Du constructs a virtual world through his childhood fantasies and memories.
INTERVIEW | Ziyi Zhang
Ziyi Zhang is an interdisciplinary artist based in Chicago. Currently teaching at SAIC, her work encompasses painting, installation, and interactive media, delving into unconventional explorations of human conditions. Her series Family Photo Album is an interactive, browser-based work of art, an exploration of notions of truth, cultural and generational disconnect, and the relationship between social class and art.
INTERVIEW | Qinying Cai
Qinying Cai was born in China and specializes in emotionally evocative oil paintings. Her artistic journey, rooted in childhood as a refuge from dyslexia, has evolved into a captivating exploration of classical artistry. As a talented storyteller, Qinying Cai invites viewers to connect and feel the common threads of our shared human experience, as well as reminds us of the fleeting nature of emotions and life experiences.
INTERVIEW | Misha Waks
Misha Waks refers to themes related to ecology, women's rights, and minorities. He is inspired by current events, news, and images from the internet, press, and television. He explores topics related to the concepts of post-nature and the Anthropocene. He uses various means of expression; among the most important are painting, sculpture, installations, performance, and video.
INTERVIEW | Chris Arnold
Chris Arnold is a Chicago-based contemporary artist and illustrator. Currently, his work is focused on environmental expressionism, with notable collections featuring animals, botanicals, and landscapes. He is inspired by the beauty of nature and champions its conservation. Influenced by the vivid aesthetics of comic art from his youth, his paintings embody bold colors and dynamic linework characteristics.
INTERVIEW | Cheuk Yan Cherry Tung
Cheuk Yan Cherry Tung is a Hong Kong-born interdisciplinary artist currently based in Chicago. In her latest taxidermy painting series, Cherry endeavors to bridge Eastern and Western culture by blending the concept of European Vanitas paintings with Gongbi painting, a traditional ink painting skill that she learnt in Hong Kong. This body of work discusses the power dynamics between human beings and nature.
INTERVIEW | Jackie Jiang
Jackie Jiang is a Chinese Designer and Multi-Media Artist whose work often features a unique blend of traditional paper-making techniques and contemporary ink and acrylic artistry. Through her evocative works, she masterfully merges Eastern artistic traditions with Western influences, forging a path that celebrates cultural heritage while embracing the spirit of innovation.
INTERVIEW | Wen Liu
Wen Liu is a Chinese-born artist and interaction designer currently based in Beijing, China. With over a decade of experience in the United States and Europe, she brings a diverse cultural perspective to her practice. Wen's artistic journey revolves around exploring connections between individuals, nature, and environments, through sculpture, painting, and installation.
INTERVIEW | Kameron Walker
Kameron Walker encapsulates figurative portraits that convey feelings and demonstrate true expressionism through self-identity of black culture and awareness. His ability to narrate his work primarily pinpoints that of a storyteller, best describing his work as refined, critical, and explosive in which he tends to focus on creating unique concepts ingeniously that enable his work to express his emotions courageously.
INTERVIEW | Masha Eretnova
Masha Eretnova is a nomadic abstract artist working with acrylics, texture, and mixed media. She went from corporate to being an artist and chose abstract forms to be her messengers. Her work is intended to be imbued with personal meaning and reflects on identity, character formation, and personality development.
INTERVIEW | Tony J. Smith
Tony J. Smith is a long-time Graphics Arts professional and self-trained artist. His paintings explore the human and ordinary side of life. He evokes a variety of emotions with each piece, allowing the observer to feel a new sense of connection. A perpetual student of life, Tony now works full-time on his art and artist opportunities.
INTERVIEW | Germán Muñoz
Amidst the vibrant landscapes of Querétaro, Mexico, Germán Muñoz is a painter and product designer whose narrative transcends borders and disciplines. Germán Muñoz invites the world to traverse the multi-dimensional landscapes of his creativity, a journey marked by the interplay of engineering precision, artistic expression, and the enduring bonds forged in the crucible of shared artistic endeavors.
INTERVIEW | Xinyi Yang
Xinyi Yang is a young potential artist and interdisciplinary designer. Her paintings, which combine ancient East Asian poetry beauty with the reflection of contemporary philosophy, primarily feature oil and watercolour, exuding vitality as they continually explore light within darkness, specifically reflected in the relationship between people and the environment.
INTERVIEW | Hadeel Alzoubi
Hadeel AlZoubi is a contemporary artist based in Toronto. Her artistic journey is a constant exploration of mediums and techniques. She thrives on pushing the boundaries of artistic expression by incorporating a diverse array of materials. Ultimately, Hadeel's art is an invitation to transcend the chaos of modern life and find solace in the simplicity of her creations.
INTERVIEW | Delphine Cuelenaere
Delphine Cuelenaere is driven by curiosity in both subject and method. The technique of woodcarving gives her the opportunity to be surprised by the material. Open-minded departures from the unknown and a radical openness to not knowing what will come are the essence of her artistic process. Slowly and unpredictably, scenes emerge in which voyeur and protagonist, spectator and artist, intertwine.
INTERVIEW | Michail Parlamas
Michail Parlamas is a Greek painter, based in Athens. He studied in London at Central Martins College of Art before returning to Greece. Michail’s portraits are trapped between the physical and the digital world. He obsessively devotes himself to depictions of asymmetrical patterns with the aim of exposing and eventually familiarizing the public with diversity and non-conventional beauty.
INTERVIEW | Raine Storey
Raine Storey is a Canadian visual artist based in London, England. Storey’s work combines her Fine Art and Art History degree with her ‘higher education’ at the ‘school of hard knocks’. It is the latter that led her examination into why she creates. Storey aims to contribute to the renewed identity of raw materials. The artwork recycles and preserves historic waste, including London’s House of Parliament restoration, to place back on the walls.
INTERVIEW | Via Li
Via Li, a painter based in Cupertino, CA, is passionately dedicated to capturing the intricate emotions of women and addressing the daily challenges and injustices they grapple with. The artist employs women as conduits for exploring emotions as a tangible form of energy. Via's paintings possess a dual nature—simultaneously tenderly beautiful and poignantly compelling.
