Exploring the World of Creativity: A Conversation with Sijia Ke

Sijia Ke, a renowned international artist, designer and one of the co-founders of Shanghai Pacman Art & Design Co. She not only holds a master's degree from the Royal College of Art, but also graduated from the Glasgow School of Art in the UK. Sijia Ke has won many international art awards such as the German IF Design Award, Red Dot Design of the Year Award, Golden Dot Design Award, Cotton Tree Design Award, etc. Her works have been exhibited in cities such as London, Rome, Florence, Helsinki, Berlin, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, etc., and her video works have been selected to participate in many international film festivals.

 

Scarlett's achievements include the German IF Design Award and the Red Dot Design of the Year Award. Her solo exhibition "Pink Pink - The Hidden Self" will be shown at Fiu Gallery in Shanghai in 2019, and her works have been featured in a number of international group exhibitions, such as the 9th Rome International Art Fair at Medina Art Gallery, Rome, Italy in 2024, and "Cultural Dialogue" Spring Exhibition at Galleria Kookos, Helsinki, Finland in 2024. Cultural Dialogue" at Galleria Kookos, Helsinki, Finland in 2024, and "Quiet Peach Blossom" at A60 Contemporary Art Space, Florence, Italy.

 

Interview Summary

1: How do you see your work evolving in the future? What new themes or mediums would you like to explore?

 

Sijia Ke: My current works will be mainly paintings and sculptures. I like purely electronic video games, virtual space, and AR/VR, not because they are new, but because they are old. Electronic products are also like the crystallization of an era, and they tend to appear on the stage of history in the most flamboyant and comparative forms, and I like things with this kind of temperament. I will definitely try to work in a similar medium in the future.

 

2: Can you tell me about your artistic process? The visual language of your work is contemporary abstraction, and the materials used for most of the paintings are oil sticks, colored pencils, and acrylics. Did you start painting with the same materials and style of work?

 

Sijia Ke: I believe that every artist releases a small world inside them when they create their work. My small world is a 13 or 4 year old girl who is full of worldly desires. All the paintings come from "her". All the abstract forms, and the bias of the content, are decided by her, she likes her own, and I like her very much. The choice of materials is not special, I prefer to use ballpoint pens, colored pens and other simpler materials for small paintings.

 

 3: Some of the works you see are drawings on paper that are directly named after people such as "Lili" or "Qiqi". Are they usually people you know or have met, or do they come from a more intuitive place? 

 

Sijia Ke:: They all come from some cultural background that I like to delve into. It's more like very common, feminine, even slightly vulgar names from the 90s, 00s. However, this kind of vulgarity and cheapness is something I have always respected and loved. Lili and Qiqi in my worldview are more like the young girls on the streets of China in the 2000s, carrying fake bags, with curly perms, wearing carefully selected cheap accessories and starting out in society. They smell good and are full of vanity for this society. I like them, and their names.

 

4: Are there more paintings and exhibitions that you feel more motivated to create at this point, or do you see yourself continuing in this field? Do you have plans for a solo exhibition this year or in the future, and which city?

Sijia Ke:: Of course.

I plan to have a solo show in New York this year, to organize my works over the years and to make an exhibition with my own time span of creation. The works will include sculptures and paintings.

 

5: Are there any other new elements in your visual art practice that you would like to share? What new elements are you exploring in the coming period? 

 

Sijia Ke: I've done a sculpture before called "Sijia Ke Descends To The World", which I love to share.  In addition to continuing to specialize in the field of painting, I also plan to try my hand at creating some multimedia works in order to expand my artistic practice.

 

With her unique perspective and creativity, Sijia Ke continues to explore the boundaries of art, presenting viewers with a thought-provoking body of work. Her passion and dedication to art will continue to drive her brilliant development in the international art scene.