Taiwanese illustrator Bihua Yang finds the best of both worlds
25.06.21 Words by Hannah Valentine

Taiwanese illustrator Bihua Yang finds the best of both worlds

In rich colours and clean lines, Bihua Yang’s illustrations unite her double-stranded history in both fine art and graphic design. Drawing on experiences from her native Taipei and her current home of Brussels, she finds a style that is entirely her own.
25.06.21 Words by Hannah Valentine

Bihua Yang’s illustrations contrast an appealing simplicity with a sophisticated use of colour, shape, and composition. In her carefully understated style, her designs depict scenes that feel familiar to many of us – from capturing a sense of loneliness in times of social distancing and Zoom parties, to quiet evenings spent curled up with the cat. And despite her figures usually lacking facial features, expression or obvious emotion, her illustrations are full of feeling.

From her Brussels home, Bihua begins her day by feeding her cat and making herself a coffee. Then it’s time to get down to work. "I like working on a project without being disturbed, giving a single thing all of my time and energy until I’m completely exhausted and have to finish,” she tells Wrap. "Only then do I turn to business and admin things.” She begins with preliminary sketches, searching for the ideas she finds the most inspiring. The next step is either to develop her chosen idea digitally, or—her preferred method—to create her designs by hand using gouache, acrylic or oil paints.

Bihua’s signature rich colours and striking graphic elements reveal her influences and education—the Japanese comic books that fascinated her when she was young, the years spent focussing on painting in art school, and the time spent working on graphic design. "I studied painting at art school in Taipei, but I often felt frustrated because the professors seemed to want to guide us all to the same perspective,” she explains. Searching for a more individual way of expressing herself, she turned to graphic design in college, continuing with this for five years after graduating, before turning back to painting.

Graphic design made its mark and continues to be an important influence in her illustrations. "I have this tendency to analyse colours chunk by chunk. I try to simplify them, to harmonise them, without losing the all-important hand-drawn quality,” she says. "I think this style came from the two important building blocks of my background, which are fine art and design.”

Bihua creates editorial illustrations for magazines and zines Medor Magazine, Cuistax and Le Reflet, as well as selling and exhibiting her original paintings and Riso prints. She was recently exhibited by art gallery The 201 Art in Taiwan, as part of a project which invited artists to explore themes surrounding the impact of the pandemic. "I wanted to explore how people manage to maintain a sense of connection even while we are forced to keep a distance from the crowd,” she says. "I illustrated two scenes in an aeroplane cabin, depicting the difference in people's behaviour and state of mind before and during the pandemic. It’s not only the limitations in mobility brought about by the pandemic, but also the importance of the interplay between human and environmental influences.”

Bihua is fond of her adopted Belgian home where she lives with her partner, having first moved to the city to improve her French, but found herself in a welcoming illustration scene. "The lifestyle here is slower than in Taipei. The people here are in less of a rush and seem to just enjoy their time, which I really like,” she reflects. Despite her love of the Belgian capital, Bihua also speak excitedly of the changes that are occurring in her home country. "Taiwan is becoming a more dynamic and exciting place for illustrators and creators. I’m not thinking of leaving Brussels at the moment, but I still want to start building my career in Taiwan little by little,” she explains. "In 2019, I designed a calendar and asked one of my Taiwanese friends to manage it. It worked well! This summer I'm going back to Taipei for a bit. I want to work on Riso prints of my work and build an online shop so that I can connect all over the world.”

Bihua Yang
"I like working on a project without being disturbed, giving a single thing all of my time and energy until I’m completely exhausted and have to finish."
Bihua Yang
"I have this tendency to analyse colours chunk by chunk. I try to simplify them, to harmonise them, without losing the all-important hand-drawn quality. I think this style came from the two important building blocks of my background, which are fine art and design.”

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