In this series, we get to know the Artists behind the work with ten questions about their practice, their space, and their ideas. These are their Stories.

Brian Jiang

Brian Jiang (they/she) is a queer trans multi-disciplinary artist of Chinese-descent based in Tkaronto. Their practice comprises of animation, illustration, painting, graphic design and beyond. Brian graduated from OCADU’s illustration program in 2020. As an artist collaborator working within the cultural sector, their arts-practice is informed by their love for the communities that they belong to. Brian’s work draws upon mythology, the natural world, and lived experiences to explore the ties between identity, diasporic migration, kinship, and ecological connections. They have been commissioned by Pride Toronto, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, Inside Out Film Festival, Xpace Cultural Centre, Maisonneauve Magazine, LinkedIn StreetARToronto and more.

How did you discover your passion for art?

I discovered my love of art initially through my grandma who is a very crafty, resourceful and devoted Buddhist Chinese woman. When I was a little kid, she looked after me and she’d teach me how to draw chickens, flowers, fish and other things you’d see in rural China where she had grown up. We’d also make paper crafts together such as lotus flowers (which is a symbolic flower within Buddhism) from toilet paper. Growing up, I often spent my free time in my room drawing little doodles with markers and coloured pencils.

Your artistic practice spans various disciplines such as animation, illustration, painting, and graphic design. How do you navigate the intersections of these mediums, and how do they contribute to the overall narrative of your work?

I find that these varying disciplines within my practice end up influencing each other. For example, within my more static practices like illustration and painting, I tend to strive for a sense of liveliness and motion which is informed by my animation practice. Through my animation practice, I’ve also found myself learning to embrace a looser and more flexible drawing process when I illustrate. The vice versa is also true. In my animations, having a strong impactful composition in the key frames is important to me and this is probably something I’ve carried over from my illustration background. Throughout all my works, I think what unites them together is fluidity of lines and shapes as well as bold colour choices.

Your work explores themes of identity, diasporic migration, kinship, and ecological connections. Can you share some specific instances where these themes have been particularly influential in shaping your art?

Definitely! In my painting Nest, the idea of kinships is present through the theme of chosen family. It depicts a cozy scene of my chosen family (who I used to live with) and our furry babies.  As a trans femme of colour, I wouldn’t be who I am without my communities and my works are often in homage to my chosen kin. Even within my commissioned works, these themes are omnipresent as I find that they’re heavily entwined with my brainstorming process and I find myself always referencing these themes for inspiration. I love using ecology and the natural world as metaphors to describe my lived experiences and identity. If you look closely within my works, you may be able to spot the orchids, carnivorous plants, and other flora that I reference!

Having graduated from OCAD’s Illustration program, how has your formal education influenced your artistic approach, and what aspects of your academic experience do you find most resonant in your current practice?

Art school seems like such a blur to me, especially since I graduated into the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. However, I will say that something that I’ve retained from school in my current practice is compiling written research and reference images for inspiration. The illustration program at OCAD has also really instilled a fear of deadlines within me so that has given me a better grasp at time management which has definitely benefited my career.

You’ve done a number of commissioned projects, including working with Pride Toronto, LinkedIn StreetARToronto, and others. How does the commissioning process impact your artistic freedom, and how do you ensure your unique voice remains present in commissioned pieces?

I think the commissioning process can sometimes give limitations to what you can create but I find these restraints surprisingly freeing. It gives me set parameters to work and I find it interesting to see what can bloom from these limitations. Having a narrowed direction also helps with the time limitations that these commissions often come with. This has really taught me to trust my instinct because I find my first ideas are usually the best ones. As I mentioned earlier, I think staying true to the themes I’m drawn to like community and nature has helped shape my artistic voice within my commissioned pieces. All my commissioned pieces are linked through a common visual vocabulary of plants!

Could you share a specific project or piece that holds personal significance for you and elaborate on the inspiration behind it?

The project I’d like to share is the animation I created for Inside Out’s 2023 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival. The Primordial Queer is an ethereal animation that explores queer love through the perspective of queer ecology. Defining Inside Out’s 2023 Festival Identity, it portrays a narrative of the merging and melding of multiple organism entities that give way to the symbiosis of queer love.

Queer ecology rejects simplified notions of “natural” and “morality” within animal and animal behavior. It recognizes the diversity of the natural world and encourages discourse based on queerness. All living organisms are interconnected through the lens of queer ecology. It weaves past, present, and future to the open possibility. “Queering” nature is to understand that nature is complex and cannot be contained by supposed binaries.Through this lens, the essence of queer love transcends beyond the boundaries of our physical bodies and can be found in the intricate ecological networks that have existed for eternity. Queerness and queer love live in nature’s ever-existing metaphors – the infinite combinations of symbiosis between, the elements, and the organisms that interact and inoculate the terrain. Queerness is primordial.

This project holds a lot of significance for me because it was one of the first major projects that had really allowed me to connect identity, community and nature together alongside philosophical concepts that I’ve been ruminating about for a while. I was really lucky that Raphy and the rest of the Inside Out team trusted me with my vision. I felt like I really poured my soul and heart into this project and it feels very much a part of me. For me personally, this project represents who I am at this time as a young queer & trans adult living in this chaotic world and finding hope in the primordial presences that are still here.

Can you tell us about a particularly memorable experience or turning point in your career so far?

I would say being commissioned by Inside Out Film Festival has been a really memorable experience. I’d also say being commissioned by Reel Asian Film Festival as their festival creative artist prior to that at the end of 2022 is also a memory I’ll always cherish. I feel really honored to be able to contribute to the art direction of both festivals. I recently also had the opportunity to create an installation for New Ho Queen (queer asian party and collective based in Toronto) called Centipede Mother. This was the first time I’ve ever created a sculpture-based installation and worked with paper mache at such a large scale. 

I think the last two years have been a real turning point in my career. I feel really seen by the communities that I’m a part of and it’s been making my heart feel really full!!! Can’t wait for what the future holds!  <3

When you’re not immersed in your art, what are some of your favourite ways to unwind and find inspiration in your day-to-day life?

My favorite way to unwind is to stare at my plant collection that’s always desperately in need of watering. I love tending to my plants and admiring their colors, patterns, textures. It makes me feel really grounded and calm for the most part besides when some plants are dying. I also find inspiration in the outdoors. When the weather is nice, I love going camping with my partner Jake and I find comfort in being still and present in nature.

What do you listen to when you work?

What I listen to while I work often varies depending on my mood. Some days, I’ll be listening to dream pop, and other days it might be 2000s throwbacks or 70’s oldies. If I’m feeling spicy, I’ll let Spotify’s algorithm tell me what to listen to. As I’m writing this, I have Genius of Love by the Talking Heads playing in the background.

What is one thing you’ve been loving recently that you’d like to share? 

I’ve been loving how my recent risograph prints turned out! It was my first time designing intentionally for the risograph printing process and I’m so happy how the colours turned out. The artwork is called “Floral Debauchery” and is inspired by the beauty of queer gender expression. If anyone’s interested in buying one, more details can be found here.