Qintong Yu
Year of birth: 2000
Where do you live: London
Your education: University of the Arts London
Describe your art in three words: Emotional, Experimental, Transformative
Your discipline: Visual arts
Can you tell us more about your background in graphic communication design and creative computing, and how these disciplines influence your art today?
My foundation in graphic communication design is built on visual storytelling—how to translate complex concepts, emotions, and ideas into images. The emphasis on clarity, structure, and narrative taught me how to effectively communicate through color, typography, and layout. As I moved into creative computing, I embraced digital technologies that expanded my creative possibilities. These tools allowed me to break free from the confines of traditional design and explore new ways of manipulating shapes, color, and texture. What excites me about this fusion is the freedom it provides. Graphic design gives me precision, while creative computing lets me explore the unknown. The balance between structured design principles and the fluidity of digital art has shaped my approach to art—creating visuals that are both thoughtful and experimental. Today, I use these influences to create work that feels alive, layered, and reflective of the digital age, exploring themes of identity, emotional complexity, and the tension between what’s seen and unseen.
Qintong Yu | Blurred Bloom | 2025Your work often explores the theme of emotional complexity in a hyper-connected world. How do you think digital technologies impact our understanding and expression of emotions?
Digital technologies have transformed how we express and process emotions, but they’ve also complicated our understanding of them. On the one hand, social media, instant messaging, and digital platforms allow us to instantly share our feelings. But these technologies also introduce filters, edits, and performative aspects—our emotions are often shaped by what’s acceptable or desirable in the digital world. This hyper-connectivity creates both a sense of closeness and a deep sense of disconnection, as real emotions get lost in the noise. In my work, I try to express this duality. By using bold colors and distorted shapes, I highlight the contrast between raw, internal emotions and the curated versions we present online. The digital tools I use enable me to reflect how emotions today are often fragmented and inauthentic yet can feel more heightened and intense than ever. It’s this tension that drives my work—how technology has changed the landscape of emotional expression, often blurring the lines between genuine connection and superficial performance.
In ‘Synthetic Emotions,’ you use bold colors and distorted shapes to depict internal feelings. What inspired your choice of these visual elements, and how do they reflect your exploration of the contrast between inner emotions and outward appearances?
In Synthetic Emotions, the use of bold colors and distorted shapes was born out of my desire to express the intensity and unpredictability of emotions. When we feel deeply—whether it’s joy, anger, fear, or confusion—those emotions are often chaotic and difficult to convey clearly. The bold colors like red, blue, and purple were chosen for their ability to immediately evoke strong feelings. The distorted shapes reflect how we often struggle to communicate these raw emotions in a world that expects neatness and control. We’ve all been in moments where our true emotions are more complex than the smile we put on, more fragmented than what we share with others. In this work, the disjointed, fractured visuals mirror that internal fragmentation, the way we feel one thing yet are often forced to appear another. It’s about the conflict between raw, unfiltered feelings and the socially acceptable facades we put on.
Qintong Yu | Synthetic Emotions | 2025‘Blurred Bloom’ delves into themes of transformation and impermanence. Could you explain the symbolism behind the shifting identities, emotions, and memories in your work?
Blurred Bloom is centered around the idea of constant transformation and impermanence. The shifting identities represent how we are never truly fixed—our sense of self is constantly changing, evolving with experiences, growth, and loss. The flower in the piece is a symbol of growth and decay—it blooms and wilts in the same moment. This speaks to the way emotions and identities transform over time, how memories fade or shift into something new, and how even the most intense feelings are temporary. I chose to blur the edges of the piece to symbolize how these aspects of life are elusive, hard to hold onto. We can’t truly grasp or preserve them; they slip through our fingers like sand.
How do you approach the concept of impermanence in your illustrations, and why do you find it important to explore this idea visually?
Impermanence is a central theme in my work because it’s one of the few constants in life—everything changes. Emotions, memories, identities—nothing stays fixed. I embrace this fluidity in my illustrations by using blurring, fading, and dissolving elements to capture that sense of change. These techniques reflect how we can never hold onto one moment forever. Whether it’s a fleeting emotion, a shifting memory, or an evolving sense of self, the impermanence of these things is both a challenge and a beauty of life. I explore this concept visually because it speaks to something universal—we all face the inevitable flow of time, the ebb and change of everything we experience. Representing impermanence in my art is my way of confronting this reality, acknowledging that nothing is permanent but that this transient nature is part of what makes life meaningful.
How do you navigate the balance between abstraction and representational elements in your work?
I find the balance between abstraction and representation crucial for conveying the full emotional depth of a subject. Abstract shapes allow me to express feelings and concepts that are difficult to capture in a literal way, like internal conflict, confusion, or the depth of a fleeting memory. These abstract elements feel like the heart of the emotion, raw and unrefined. On the other hand, representational elements—whether a figure or a familiar object—help ground the piece and make it relatable to the viewer. They serve as an anchor, allowing the viewer to connect emotionally while still being open to interpretation. In Synthetic Emotions, the distorted faces and shapes represent the chaos of internal feelings, but the fragmented human form keeps the piece tied to reality. The balance between the two creates a tension that mirrors real life—our emotions can be abstract and messy, but they always stem from something real, something we experience. By blending both, I can create a space for reflection, where viewers can relate to the emotions while being encouraged to dive deeper into the abstract.
What role do color and shape play in communicating the emotional landscape you want to portray in your art?
Color and shape are central to how I express emotions in my art. Colors have an immediate emotional impact. In Synthetic Emotions, I use these colors to represent the intensity and range of emotional states. Shape plays an equally important role. Sharp, jagged shapes convey tension, fragmentation, or internal conflict, while soft, rounded forms suggest calm, comfort, or fluidity. The combination of these elements allows me to translate complex emotions into something visual. I often use color to set the tone and shape to express how those emotions feel in space—whether they’re restrained or bursting.
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