UNCANNY
Photographer: OSFH Studio
1. What significant life experiences or events have influenced and shaped your artistic vision?
I grew up watching sci-fi movies, HR Giger and Zdzislaw Beksinski have always been my inspirations. I would always imagine myself in an extra-terrestrial world, sometimes because I wanted to escape reality. I also have a unique relationship with body modifications, being a tattoo and scarification lover, I usually add visceral elements to my designs. The pain related to getting body modifications gave me more respect for the body reflexes, and how the brain and the nerves work to create an identity. Recently I’ve started collecting a lot of art books from movies and video games that have bio-mechanical elements, I’m on a new path of exploring the plasticity and expression forms of our flesh and bones.
2. Collaboration often sparks fresh creativity. Can you share an example of a collaboration that led to an unexpected and exciting artistic outcome?
For the UNCANNY collection, I collaborated with my friend Yi Wang. She does 3D modeling and graphic design and we have very similar aesthetics, so I sent her a design of the alien mask and she sculpted it in Zbrush. Her aesthetic and vision have helped me a lot in this piece. I firmly believe having a head to represent the face of the alien creature in my narrative is crucial to the collection.
3. Walk us through a specific project that challenged your creative boundaries. How did you approach it, and what did you learn from the experience?
A year ago I did a mini project called “tattoo suit”, it’s made of laser-cut patterns attached to a translucent mesh. To match the laser-cut file to the garment patterns was very challenging, I had to re-imagine the human body in a 2D unraveled graph. The process of putting the leather pieces on was excruciating, I put a pattern guide under the mesh fabric and used leather cement to stick the pieces to exact positions carefully. The sticking process alone took at least 40 hours. It was a meditative experience for sure, but that project challenged my patience and told me how to truly make a garment that would interact with the human body. When you put the piece on, it looks like you have tattoos or a zebra-like pattern on your skin. For more details check https://www.osfh.studio/collections/tattoo-suit-2023
4. In the ever-evolving art world, what do you believe sets your work apart and makes it unique or groundbreaking?
When you think of clothes, you think of an external layer that can be easily distinguished from your body. I want to break that stereotype and make clothes or accessories that add to your given form. I like curves and geometry, so sometimes I compliment the natural flow of the body by creating intentional design lines. I also like changing the natural body shape, so I use hard materials (such as 3D printing PLA) as a contrast and create unconventional silhouettes that are not usually identified as “human”. I also like working with technology, another dream of mine is to become a film SFX designer, so I use a lot of digital sculpting in my collections.
5. As you reflect on your journey, are there any specific goals or milestones you've set for your artistic career in the coming years?
I want to push my relationship with 3D printing to an extreme. The more I design, the more I move away from conventional fabric for making fashion. In the next few years, I want to focus on digital sculpting technology and explore more 3D-printable materials. I would also love to have collaborations with my favorite artists and brands or establish relationships with tech companies that are leading the 3D industry.
6. How did you discover Mob and what made you choose us? <3
I’ve followed Mob Magazine for a long time on social media, to publish my work on this platform is something I’ve always wanted to do. The platform has inspired a lot of artists, and hopefully one day I can inspire someone somewhere in the world.
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The human body is a malleable canvas of self-expression, bridging the connection between our inner essence and the external world. Many worship the original form of the body as a sacred vessel, but throughout history, body modification has provided a means to transform it into an endless realm of possibilities. Altered and redefined, the modified body becomes simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar, creating a “glitch” in our recognition system often described as the “uncanny effect”. The process of modification draws us closer to our physical vessels, erasing the original identity and birthing something entirely new. This collection weaves a narrative of an extraterrestrial entity gradually inhabiting a human form, replacing the host's flesh and soul piece by piece. By adding technologies such as 3D printing and silicone casting, the diversity of materials gives the collection a futuristic tone.
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Makeup Artist: Sophie Hartnett
Photographer: boyang hu
Fashion Designer: OSFH Studio
Assistant: Jiangyuan Ai
Model: Yanti Zhao
Model: Melanie Gaydos