Pierrick Calvez: Ylin-Ylan

posted by Robyn Pitts August 30, 2019

Pierrick Calvez is a China based artist working from his studio in Huizhou. He studied Design and Academic Art at a fine arts school in Brittany, west of France, and throughout his 20 year career as a designer he has continued to navigate between the two disciplines. As his work has developed Pierrick has thoroughly experimented with cross media creation, and in recent years has moved to rigorous UX design.

Ylin-Ylan is an illustration project inspired by Pierrick’s relocation to China, where he has been living for a decade. “I took inspiration a lot from classic Chinese illustration tropes; the flowery motifs, the still natures, the landscapes, the idea of travel” he explains. Pierrick created the series by digital collage and used a few custom techniques in order to represent the jagged movement and unsettled feel that his work conveys.

Pierrick likes to create his pieces in a narrative context; “I have a list of artwork titles that I keep in my notes. I often start a collage idea quick, then go to my titles list to see if there’s a fit. I try to combine them and create a little story out of it. It works for me. It helps me finish the piece, having that little narrative going on. And it makes the whole process more fun”. Part of the inspiration for Ylin–Ylan came from an old biscuit box that Pierrick found in a relative’s house in the Chinese countryside. He took some pictures for reference and the chrysanthemum motif was born. The projects narrative was complete when he took his final piece of inspiration and the project title from an old Pulp novel he loves to read; ‘Ylin–Ylan, the flower of Cath’.