Looking Back, Going Forward 你的我的我们的 2017

For Asians of all ethnicities around the world, the Lunar New Year is an important holiday. For China, it’s the largest and most important celebration of the year. The Chinese New Year represents a fresh new beginning and is a chance for many people to spend time with friends and family members.

With the approaching New Year celebrations, we revisit some of our favorite illustrators, photographers, musicians, and more from China and nearby regions to find out what they’ve been up to this past year, what they accomplished in the past year, and what they’re wishing for in the upcoming year.

Illustrator / Pigo Lin

This past year, my paintings have made their way around the world thanks to avid art collectors. In the upcoming year, I plan to create even more erotica.

New Year’s Wish: Lose some belly fat.

Based in Taipei, illustrator Pigo Lin isn’t someone who shies away from the topic of sexuality. Instead, he intends to use his art to open a candid dialogue on the subject. To see the full story from earlier this year, click here.

“The Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in Asia, and with it coming up, I want to first and foremost wish for good health and happiness to all of Neocha’s readers in the year ahead. For me, this past year was a year filled with personal achievements, especially considering that I’m not a full-time illustrator. My full-time job is as a watch designer, so I had to work on my illustrations in my spare time. It’s been an incredibly rewarding feeling to see so many art collectors around the world become interested in my art. This year, I need to bunker down and work even harder.”

“During the Chinese New Year celebrations, I’ll gather with family to eat dinner on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. I don’t plan on traveling anywhere during the break and will most likely be in my studio working away. Or maybe I’ll clean my house. My wish for the New Year is to lose some of my belly fat. I guess I’ve really been lacking in the exercise department, my entire physique has been downhill.”

“Going forward, I’ll be continuing to create even more provocative erotica. I still have a ton of drawings that are works in progress.”

Illustrator / Zhang Yalan

This past year, I experienced the challenges of finding a stable job after graduation. In the upcoming year, I plan to continue my female-focused illustration series.

New Year’s Wish: Financial independence.

Chinese illustrator Zhang Yulan’s graduation project was an illustration series that examined the Chinese character nǚ (女), which translates to “female” in English. The project dissects other Chinese characters that use the word as a radical and their connotations. To see the full feature from earlier this year, click here.

“This past year has been filled with challenges. Finding a job right after graduating is difficult, but the most rewarding accomplishment of the past year is that I finally started setting goals for myself. I do plan on continuing my illustration series. There are so many more Chinese characters using the nǚ character as a radical, so there are plenty more interesting subjects for me to discover and create. As for what I’ll be up to during the Chinese New Year break, I’ll be spending it with family. My wish for the upcoming New Year is to financially independent. I also want to wish everyone a Happy New Year!”

Illustrator / Inkee Wang

This past year, I was busy working on a collaboration with London’s V&A Museum. In the upcoming year, I want to spend more time reflecting on the work I put out.

New Year’s Wish: To waste less time.

Currently based in Shanghai, Inkee Wang is an illustrator with a unique style that’s colorful and chock-full of quirky humor. Check out our full feature on her by clicking here.

“I’m pretty satisfied with the amount of work I produced in 2017. I’ve honed in on a cohesive aesthetic that I’m happy with. The most rewarding achievement of my past year was my collaboration with V&A. They asked me to submit more work with a contemporary context, and when we reviewed my submissions, they offered a lot of feedback on how I can introduce more complexity into my drawings. This was immensely helpful. Prior to this, I think I didn’t spend enough time contemplating on how to develop my work. I now think there’s a lot more untapped ways for me express myself through art.”

“I’ll most likely be spending the Chinese New Year in a fairly traditional way, relaxing and getting together with family. But I’ll still be working on my art. As for my plans for the coming year, I want to create two comics in the first half and the year and think about how my work can incorporate even more contemporary concepts.”

Rapper / Bohan Phoenix

This past year, I did my first-ever Asia tour. In the upcoming year, I’ll be busy working on my “OVERSEAS” project and trying to do things better than the last year.

New Year’s Wish: Listen to more music.

Born in Hubei and raised in Brooklyn, Bohan Phoenix is a Chinese American rapper who’s on the up-and-up in both China and the U.S. Thematically, his music is tied to an exploration of identity, but is expressed using universal messages of love, acceptance, and pride. To see our full feature on Bohan, click here.

“In 2017, I spent the first half of the year in New York and put out the JALA EP, which was heavily influenced by the last couple years of coming to and from Asia. 2018 should get busy as well. As of now, I have a project called ‘OVERSEAS,’ which will be ready in March. Some visuals already finished include a one-shot music video that I’m super excited about.”

“For the New Year, the original plan was to spend it with the family in Chengdu, but as of last week, something came up, and I’ll actually be on tour during Chinese New Year with the Higher Brothers and 88Rising in the states. But I’ll definitely be making calls to my family back home. In the upcoming year and beyond, I plan on to doing even bigger and better things. Hopefully some more projects with Neocha! On a personal level, I had my head buried in making content last year so I didn’t get as much time digging through the vast number of records I’ve yet to hear. I definitely want to do that more in 2018.”

Producer / Chiu Pi

This past year, most of my time was spent producing the SPLENDOR album, and I also signed to ROKON. In the upcoming year, I want to release a new album that’s still only titled using two Chinese characters.

New Year Wish: To fall in love.

Chiu Pi is a Taiwanese musician who creates “mystical” and minimalist soundscapes. Within the span of two years, he’s released seventeen albums amongst numerous commercial collaborations. To find out more about him, check out our full feature by clicking here.

“I pretty much spent the entirety of last year working on SPLENDOR. My biggest accomplishment during that time was signing with ROKON; they helped me a lot by providing additional resources so that I could finish the album. As for upcoming projects, I plan to focus on the manipulation of the human voice. Looking further ahead, I want my productions and sound to be more unpredictable. I’d like to find new people to collaborate with and create something completely original.”

“This Chinese New Year, I’ll be staying in Taiwan and spending time with family. I hope to find someone to fall in love with in this coming New Year, but it’s not looking likely at the moment because I have so many tour dates coming up. After my tour ends, I’ll probably be jumping right into the production of my next album. I want to maintain the trend of titling my next album using only two Chinese characters so that there’s some sort of cohesion to my work. Oh yeah, just a side note, the physical release of the SPLENDOR album will involve a lot of red.”

Photographer / Sean Marc Lee

This past year, I had the opportunity to develop my skills through shooting in ways I haven’t shot before. In the upcoming year, I want to shoot more quirky portraits of my dad.

New Year’s Wish: To shoot more playful portraits.

Born in San Francisco and now based in Taipei, Sean Marc Lee is a professional photographer whose quirky portraits of his family and friends have become a hallmark of his work. See more of his photos by clicking here.

“Last year started off with a bang with my first billboard for Nike being up all over China. There was a steady mix of travel editorial and collaborations with some locals brands here in Taiwan as well, which let me shoot in ways I haven’t before, but still in my own style. I think the main takeaway this past year is just being more confident in my own style and running with it. Last year, the biggest highlight was getting my family in the States out to Taiwan and traveling with them to Japan. It was also great helping my father meet relatives he hasn’t seen since he was two.”

“For Chinese New Year, I’ll spend a few days down south in Kaohsiung with my girlfriend’s family. I’ll be mostly eating and relaxing! My wish for the New Year is to shoot more portraits that straddle the playful style of my own work but with a style and fashion-orientated direction. I’d also love to get my family out here in Taiwan again and spend more time shooting more quirky portraits of my father. As for my plans for this year, in March, I’ll be in Vietnam; in April, I’ll be in Tokyo; and in June and July, I’ll be in the U.S. on my annual family trip to Yosemite. Of course, I’ll also keep shooting!”

Photographers / Wenjun Chen & Yanmei Jiang

This past year, we wrapped up a commissioned project that explored on the port cities of China. In the upcoming year, we hope to start making documentary-style and commercial videos.

New Year’s Wish: Live in the States and create new works.

In 2014, this photographer couple turned their lens on each other and began an intimate photography project titled Me & Me. Check out the full story on their work by clicking here.

“This year, we just finished a project commissioned by the China Port Museum about the various port cities of China. Lately, we’re hoping to transition from photography into videography and capture stories in a documentary style or tackle commercial projects. As with every Chinese New Year, we’ll be at home in Guangzhou and spending it with family. Our New Year’s wish is to find opportunities to make more videos, and we also have plans of moving to the U.S. so that we can experience life there while we continue to create new works. The plan is already in motion. Hopefully, everything will go without a hitch.”

Fashion Designer / Su Wukou

This past year, I released a new clothing line and helped other designers to start up their labels. In the upcoming year, I’ll be hosting an exhibition of some new work.

New Year Wish: Form a strong team and create with more efficiency.

Su Wukou is a designer who’s deliberately refused to put together a statement about his fashion brand. His unique designs and outlook on fashion has led to countless unexpected creations in recent years. Find out more about his work by clicking here.

“What people have seen from me in 2017 is only a small part of what I’ve actually worked on during the year. What they don’t see is the amount of work I invested in helping other designers launch their own labels. But I feel like these two endeavors are one in the same, it’s work that’s being produced from my soul, but they’re just expressed differently. But to be honest, I haven’t spent as much time creating as I like in the past year; it actually feels like I haven’t truly made anything new in a long time. However, in April, I plan to debut an exhibition in Shanghai’s West Bund and showcase some new works. As for the Chinese New Year, I’ll definitely be with family. In this coming year, I hope to build my team up, make it even stronger, and create new work in a more efficient manner.”

Streetwear Brand / ROARINGWILD

This past year, we opened our brick-and-mortar store in Shenzhen. In the upcoming year, we plan to unveil exciting new projects that go beyond streetwear and fashion.

New Year’s Wish: Peace and joy for the world.

Shenzhen-based brand ROARINGWILD understands what makes a piece of clothing “streetwear” is more than its aesthetics alone – it’s the attitude and spirit behind the garment that truly makes it streetwear. They’ve worked tirelessly to advance their vision of creating a streetwear brand that not only represents their ideals but can also inspire an attitude shift in the Chinese youth. Check out our full story on them by clicking here.

“This past year, we’ve been busy releasing new collections every season. Of course, we also launched our first brick-and-mortar location. It’s been a great learning experience as it’s something we’ve never done before. While challenging, our entire team found the whole process to be an enjoyable one. As for newer projects, we’re working on something about urban culture, and we’ll be releasing even more interesting projects in this upcoming year. On the streetwear front, we plan to open a new flagship store and move our studio to an even better location. Aside from that, we’re planning to expand our creative efforts into projects unrelated to fashion, such as making installation art and working with other mediums. We just want to experiment and see what we come up with.”

“For the New Year, we wish for peace and joy to our friends and family as well as the rest of the world. We’re all pretty traditional when it comes to Chinese New Year so we’ll be spending it with family, but we’ll still be working. No matter what happens in this upcoming year, we won’t lose sight of our goal, which is to bring more creativity into the world and have fun doing it.”

Fashionista / Yoyo

This past year, we were hard at work establishing our brand and vintage fashion project. In the upcoming year, we plan to keep exploring the world with our son Yoyo.

New Year’s Wish: Peace and joy for all of our family and friends.

Styled and photographed by his parents, Yoyo is a young fashion icon from Hangzhou who’s attracted a large following with his fashionable yet adorable looks. See the original story, including an original video, by clicking here.

“2017 has been a busy one, but also quite a joyous year. We’ve been working hard to establish an online store for our fashion brand UNSME, and at the same time, we’re also trying to do something with vintage accessories and clothing. Yoyo has grown up a lot since we last caught up as well, so we treasure every shoot we do with him. We see these photos as documentation of his childhood.

“We don’t have that many plans set in stone for this upcoming year, but we do intend on spending even more time to hang out with Yoyo and discover the world around us. We’re also looking forward to getting started on a shoot that we’ve been commissioned to do by a fashion brand. Whatever happens, our goal is to just have a good time.”

“Every year, we go back to our hometown and spend Chinese New Year with our families. This year, we’ll be bringing a GoPro, and we plan to shoot some snapshots of our family getting together and parts of our daily life. We not only want to capture our good times with Yoyo but want to create memories with the entire family. For the New Year, our wish is for our family and friends to stay in good health and have a joy-filled road ahead!”

Contributor: Chen Yuan
Original Contributors: David Yen, Shou Xing, George Zhi Zhao, Chen Yuan, Ye Zi