Interview
SiYi Ding
SiYi Ding is a self-taught artist. Her focus is on street and daily life photography, and the visual art of costume performance photography.
In 2018, her work was published on 1340 ART Magazine and in the same year, SiYi was invited to hold a solo exhibition at an artifact gallery in the USA. In 2019, she took part in the Banditto Residency Prize competition.
SiYi has received other invitations to exhibit her work and to take part in contests from art galleries and institutions, such as LensCulture, where she participated in the LensCulture Portrait Awards 2020. SiYi continues with her art, as she looks towards expanding and delving deeper into her costume/sculpture visual art.
Could you introduce yourself and tell us how you started your journey in the art world?
“My name is SiYi Ding, and I am from FuJian province of China. I have a bachelors degree in business, but I have been interested in art since I was a child. I particularly loved drawing and playing the electronic keyboard. Unfortunately, at that time, no one noticed my talent. Luckily, I was guided by my soul, and in 2017, I started my phone photography art journey.
Costume is the language that I choose to express myself through, and that is the world I really belong to. I’ve found that it relates closely to my soul. However, it was through my photography that I became visible to the art world. My costume art is the improvisation of daily clothing, matching in visual photography.”
What inspires you most?
“I am inspired by anything in daily life that touches my heart. This can be a tree, a person walking, or a crying girl. I observe the life of those around me and put my emotions, my love, my sorrow and my story into those observations. That is what inspires my art. I am an outsider, looking into life.”
“The artist is the ‘eyes’ and ‘expressor’ of the spirit, human suffering, and all kinds of emotions. Even though I don’t have the whole picture of art history, I think the essence of the artist has been the same from early days up to now: they record and they express from real life to the inner soul.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I don't have a specific theme, but the inner truth of my soul and the outer world's truth is the subject of my work. I am passionate about this. There are many different stories that I tell through my pictures. These include my fantasy, my imagination, my emotions and my attitude to the world.”
Which artists influence you most?
“I am greatly influenced by the fashion designer and artist Alexander McQueen, and the artist Vincent Van Gogh. I find similarities in their souls; I feel them. ‘To get close to the master is to get close to the true self.’”
“The truth I find and feel, I express in my work. I take pictures with my heart. When you read my work with your heart and not with your eyes, you will know what it is about.”
What is your creative process like?
“My creative process can vary greatly, depending on whether I’m doing photography or costume visual selfies. But what is similar is that when the inspiration hits, I put my whole soul into the story, venturing deeper and flowing with my emotions. The subject and I are one. ‘Flowing’ is my creative process.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“One of my works was published in the Q4 2018 1340 ART Magazine.
Due to personal reasons, I have chosen not to accept opportunities of exhibition and publication from an American artifact gallery and South Korea Haegeumgang Museum.”
Instagram: @ding.ssyy
