Meet SISHENG YU | Artist, graphic designer, make-up artist, piercer, brand owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with SISHENG YU and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi SISHENG, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I come from Changsha, the capital city of south-east China. I spent the first 18 years of my life here, then completed my undergraduate studies in Wuxi before moving to London to further my education. “Home” and “mobility” are the biggest generalisations I can make about my work, or myself.
I spent my birth and most of my adolescence within a 2 km radius centred on my home. Although it was the capital city of the province, cultural exchange was scarce. Even though I felt slightly different as a child, I didn’t realise I was gay until after I turned 20, and I didn’t identify as a queer (now I’m more like asexual) until two years ago. At this point, all the stuckness and unanswered questions in the experience of life had a concrete point of reference.
In my early state of confusion, “running away” from my family was the main theme, and the experience of moving from place to place made me desperately in need of my own “home”. Correspondingly, I have a vague self-definition. My identity was scattered in pieces. Whether from the perspective of gender, race, social status, the neoliberal economy, the patriarchal system, or my own perspective, all the direct and reflective interpretations are fragmented and intertwined.
This fragmentation also comes from the somatic reaction to my trauma, and it can also be said that nihilism dominated my body. So I focus on the dynamic expression of the body in my works. There is a gap in time between my spiritual perception and my work, and there are differences that cannot be interpreted or expressed to the fullest. But this is also one of the great joys of my work. When I interpret this slow process, I can see past experiences in a different perspective, and this experience becomes a new one.
I have five years of study in the field of visual communication, and to me, all forms of communication are my language. Installation, moving image, interactive experience, painting and so on. You can see that my work is presented in a variety of media – perhaps it seems very non-specific. But I perceive passionately and communicate slowly, and both have always been present throughout.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work is almost a history of my growth, and a process of continuous exploration and understanding around myself. From the early days of very intuitive images and violent colour compositions, to the present gentle and subtle expressions. At the same time, I am also very influenced by “intuitive painting”. Many of my works are created in a flash of inspiration. It’s like a letter from my subconsciousness, and I enjoy interpreting what “my id” wants to convey.
My undergraduate studies are completely different from what I am currently researching, but my long-term study of visual communication techniques has made me enjoy exploring various combinations of media and materials. Whether it is paper-based media or applications within software, it can be found that my creative materials are not the only ones. This gives me more possibilities for output.
Right now I have a fledgling brand, timrockit, a fashion accessories brand. This brand can be seen as a magnifying glass for my understanding of graphic design in this. The theme is about the memory of the millennial era. It is a combination of my childhood memories and experiences, and as an Asian born in the late 90’s, I have experienced the birth and rapid development of the internet, the high speed of the media, and the changes in the social landscape that it has brought about. As an individual, this experience is a key positioning for the brand.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I can be described as a very homebody. If I go out, it’s to go to some nature scenes and spend the day lying on the grass. I’ve experienced some of the best meadows in London, such as Hampstead Heath, Richmond, and there’s nothing more soothing to me than communing with nature.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I think if I have to say, it’s young artists in their early twenties like me who are confused. Even though I was educated at art schools, I am still confused about what art and artists are and how to define them. The only thing I know for sure is, don’t stop expressing.

Website: https://44sisiworks.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/44sisi/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnd76CpUtYlX7u-eRhNXNjA

Image Credits
N/A