10 Questions with Chenhui Zheng

Chenhui Zheng is a Chinese artist and illustrator, currently living and working in New York, USA. He is studying at the Illustration Department at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

@piaonevertrippin

ARTIST STATEMENT

Chenhui's creative approach and style are versatile and mostly come from inspiration from life. He likes to use art to express his experiences and his view of the world. These pieces represent his entire life right now. Making art and listening to music are currently all he does. The rhythm of the music is like a palette that gives Chenhui different inspirations every day.

INTERVIEW

First of all, introduce yourself to our readers. What is your artistic background, and how did you start experimenting with images?

My name is Chenhui Zheng, and I graduated from the Illustration Department of the School of Visual Arts in New York. My creative methods and styles are varied and mostly come from the inspiration I get in life. I like to use art to express my experiences and views on the world.

Why are you an artist, and when did you first become one?

I started getting into art in high school because I felt that studying was boring, and I liked to draw casually during class. That's when I felt that drawing might be something I was more interested in. That's when I decided to learn painting.

How would you define yourself as an artist today?

I define myself as an ordinary person who likes to draw, and I also have a very simple definition of my artwork—I hope that my artwork can make the audience find it interesting. I like simple things, so most of my works don't contain advanced drawing skills or profound stories. Pure joy is what I get to know about my artwork.

Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? How do you go from the first idea to the final outcome?

This group of Mug works is my latest series. I live in New York, a city where multiple cultures blend. I think there are many similarities between this city and my hometown, Beijing, so I decided to use paintings to record my life experiences in this city. And when I was in school, I came into contact with Dadaism. I don't care about the ideas of Dadaism, but the artworks of Dadaism make me very interested. At that time, I was very obsessed with a creature in Pok é mon, Ditto. Under the influence of these factors, this series of Mug works was formed.

What themes do you pursue with your work?

As mentioned above, pure pleasure is the theme I am pursuing now.

You predominantly work with illustration. What's the essential element in your art?

The most important elements in my art are colors and characters, and I prefer color combinations with lower saturation. And the diversity of characters will make my work more enjoyable.

You have a peculiar style, especially in the Mug series. How did you come up with your style? 

I initially planned to make the Mug series work into children's books. But later I denied my idea. I hope my work has some strokes and rich colors. The most important thing is to bring fun to the audience.

Most of your works are digital. Do you also work with NFTs? And if so, what do you think of the recent crash of the Crypto market?

I have not used NFT before, and my understanding of NFT is not very good, so I do not make any evaluations.

On a broader level, what do you think about the art community? Do you feel you have found your place there?

I have no views on the art world, and I have never thought of finding a place in it. I believe that art is a form of conveying ideas, and some people may convey profound ideas; Some people are just having fun. I think I am the second type of person. So I haven't thought too much about such issues.

Finally, any projects you are looking forward to for this year?

This year, I want to try different art styles to continue my Mug series. I started working in the tattoo industry this year, and my main style is Chinese painting. I want to try making Mugs using the style of Chinese painting.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.