“Art is a line around your thoughts” - Gustav Klimt
For centuries, artists have employed their unique creative language to express the multitudes of emotions and thoughts that run through their mind. Their methods, mediums and modes of communication reflect their distinctive perspectives and the cultural context of their times. Today we are witnessing the rise of contemporary art in the form of “social media art”, “internet art” or “digital art”. Although new technologies and mediums have opened up unconventional platforms for artistic expression, they do challenge and broaden the notion of what constitutes art and where it can be experienced.
A duo named Kai-Chuan Shih from Taiwan and Lefan Feng from China, both based in London, have a collaborative partnership spanning two years in illustrations and graphic design. The two artists have produced 20 series of 2D and 3D illustrations till date. Their work is known to provoke deeper introspection and fuel social activism. Their recent work follows the same path that uses digital illustration in the form of dynamic storytelling to invite the viewer to question societal norms around gender, identity and digital consumption.
Kai-Chuan’s series of digital illustrations titled “Media Maze” present a curious commentary on the ubiquitous and overwhelming social media usage which renders people in a state of fatigue and over-stimulation of the brain. The entire world is impacted by the extensive use of social networking sites.
Fragmented images, disconnected from reality, display a lonely mind bombarded with numerous images as a result of an insatiable quench for surfing online. His series show a tangled mesh of wires - expressionless and numb, symbolising artificial endeavour for hyper-activism and forced happiness for the audience. Ironically, they are shallow, lonely and sad from the inside.The bright jarring colours are used to depict chaotic compositions and mental turmoil of a person. All illustrations depict an unconscious dream-like state which can be related to an ancient mythology or a folk tale full of demons and disturbing images. It is dark, gruesome and terrifying to visually witness the mental turbulence and anxiety that humans experience in the contemporary digital world. Some images are drawn in doodle-like style with a surrealist approach. They provoke the viewer to examine closely and form his own opinion.
Lefan Feng’s series of illustrations titled “Tethered” explores the intricacies of the mother-daughter relationship. The image of umbilical cord painted in bright red highlights the powerful symbol of life, nourishment and unbreakable bond that develops even before the birth of a child within the womb of a mother. The imagery symbolises the enduring, physical and emotional bond that a mother and a daughter enjoy. Both are shown walking hand in hand on an umbilical cord into the world which is represented as a black hole - dark and laden with difficulties. The playfulness and innocence in their stride is delicately captured. The pink oval form represents the womb of a woman.
Lefan’s work is imbued with feminist undertones and explores the theme of womanhood, personal identity, societal expectations and the helplessness a woman endures both physically and mentally in the face of her life’s burdens. The "headless child" illustration is a fascinating commentary on societal pressures that takeaway the ability of women to make their own decisions and the social taboos associated with the female gender.
In another series of illustrations titled “Symbiotic Series”, the duo attempts to capture the intimacy of their relationship. It is about how we are connected, and how we depend on one another. However, the use of surrealist imagery, distorted animal forms, a monochromatic setting, tears in the eyes, and haunting facial expressions lend a disturbing atmosphere to the work. Overall, their work is visually arresting, nudging you to question our reality and our social constructs.