YiVon Cheng

YiVon Cheng graduated with an MFA in Illustration from Edinburgh College of Art in 2018. Before that, she was a surfacing artist and worked on several animation projects, but her passion is Illustration. She is now an illustrator, and art teacher, and lives in Taiwan.

Her visual language is a mix of childlike qualities with dreamy and magical scenes but also subtly nostalgic and melancholic. Inspired by concrete poetry like Havel's Antikódy, Cheng transforms and deconstructs Traditional Chinese characters into visual elements in her works. In this way, she values and preserves this precious handwritten form as nowadays it's only used in Taiwan where she comes from.

She was longlisted for the 2022 World Illustration Awards, and the 2021 World Illustration Awards and pre-selected in ILUSTRARTE 2018. In 2016, her illustration and poem received an honourable mention at the Taipei Poetry Festival. Her animation 'The Thin Moon' was nominated both for the International Student Film and Video Festival of Beijing Film Academy (ISFVF) and the International Student Film Golden Lion Award in Taipei in 2005.

*blog：http://vonined.blogspot.com/

*essays and poems blog：https://disquietpoem.blogspot.com/

Education

MFA (Illustration) with Distinction, 2016 - 2018, Edinburgh College of Art - Scotland

MA(Design),2005-2007, National Taiwan Normal University-Taipei

BA(Radio and Television), 2001-2005, National Chengchi University-Taipei

Awards & Recognition

2023/ picture book ‘’Coming Home” is selected as The 45th Recommendation Book of Taiwan Ministry of Culture for Primary and Secondary Education

2022 / AOI World Illustration Awards: longlisted artist

2021 / AOI World Illustration Awards: longlisted artist

2020/ Mellow Art Award 2020(in partnership with Bijutsutecho) Special prize

2018 / ILUSTRARTE 2018 pre-selected illustrator (Tables)

2016 / Taipei Poetry Festival ': Honorable Mention (Easy Meal)

2005 / ‘The Thin Moon’ (animation) , Nomination for “International Student Film Golden Lion Award”

2005 / ‘The Thin Moon’ (animation) , Nomination for the “International Student Film and Video Festival of Beijing Film Academy”(ISFVF)

Publications

Picture books

Coming Home

| spring, 2022 | Written by Fang Fang Lu and Lalauran tribe | Published by Gathering co.(The 45th Recommendation Book of Taiwan Ministry of Culture for Primary and Secondary Education)

Star Amusement Park

| 2005 | Written by Daisaku Ikeda. | Published by Cheng Yin Books

the Rainbow Over the Pacific Ocean

| 2011 | Written by Daisaku Ikeda. | Published by Cheng Yin Books

Exhibitions & Fairs

8 Jun. - 30 Jun 2024 - Daily Collectors at ArtQpie, Taichung Taiwan- group show

28 Feb. - 15 Mar. 2020 - ‘Flowing Journey’ at Gardencity Independent Bookstore, Taipei - group show (see review video)

18 November 2019 -2 Feb. 2020 - solo exhibition/Framing the Rain at You Yuan Ren Coffee Studio, Taichung Taiwan(see review video)

10 Oct.-12 Oct. 2019 - 'Inspired to Innovate' AOI members exhibition at Hoxton_arches London, UK - group show

15 Feb. - 17 Feb. 2019 - Parallax Art Fair, London, UK (Kensington Town Hall)

19 Oct - 21 Oct. 2018- Parallax Art Fair, London, UK

2 June - 10June. 2018 - '2018 ECA Degree show / Evolution House at ECA, Edinburgh- group show

13 May - 20May. 2018 - 'Sessantotto: 68 Italian S tyle’ / Filmhouse, Edinburgh- group show

21 March 2018 - Bookmarks - ECA Artists' Book and Zine Fair / Edinburgh College of Art, UK

17 July - 23 July. 2017 - WW1 Landscapes / ECA Tent Gallery, UK- group show

15 May - 30 May. 2017 - WW1 Landscapes / University of Edinburgh, UK- group show

11 May 2017 - WW1 Landscapes/ Scottish Parliament, UK- group show

30 March 2017 - Bookmarks - ECA Artists' Book and Zine Fair / Edinburgh College of Art, UK

01 Nov. - 31 Nov. 2016 - Edinburgh Central Library / UK - group show

10 Nov. - 11 Nov. 2016 - 7th International Illustration Research / ECA ,UK - group show

Teaching

2021~now - Lecturer, subject: Mixed Media, LTU (Ling Tung University), Taichung, Taiwan

2019~now - Lecturer, subject: Illustration and Picturebooks 1-2, LTU (Ling Tung University), Taichung, Taiwan

Events & Workshops

June 2022- ‘ TATO_Taiwan on Tour ‘ by NOI libreria spazio culturale di vicinato , （official press） Italy

19 Jan. 2020- ‘ When wine meets Illustration‘ Talk / at MineWine, Taipei

5 Oct. 2019- ‘Hear and see imagery in music’ Concert x Illustration, Taipei ( also part of the off-program of 2019 Nuit Blanche Taipei.) video 01

Media （articles/interviews）

TITV 讀力創作×深入原世界 (原民台) ：原住民兒童繪本文學《記得》《回家》】3rd Mar. 2024

BoooooooM Submission 2nd Feb. 2021

Girlsclub. Asia 2nd . Feb.2019

Design Idea pic. 28th Feb. 2019

HEAPS magazine. 27th April 2018

YiVon Cheng

鄭宜芳 (艸方、芳芳)，台中人。未受過學院派美術訓練，憑藉自身對繪畫的熱情，不停歇創作與自我精進。大學就讀政大廣電系，拓展了對世界各文化的視野。而後自修考上台師大設計研究所，畢業後進入動畫公司工作。2016年毅然辭去多年的工作，啟程前往英國愛丁堡大學藝術學院（ECA）研究所再進修插畫，目前專攻領域為圖像創作，以插畫和繪本創作為主，過著深居簡出的畫畫生活。

作品曾入圍 2022 WIA世界插畫獎、2021 WIA世界插畫獎、 2018 葡萄牙ILUSTRARTE插畫雙年展，和2016台北詩歌節佳作。

她的插畫視覺語言帶有童趣的溫暖與可愛，色彩使用魔幻豐富。個人創作主題則圍繞在對生命的覺知與生活的感受，有時帶有夢的神秘色彩。喜愛圖像詩的她，也喜歡在畫面中加入繁體中文字的解構意象或象徵物件，甚至是非語意寫作的字符。整個圖像像是一齣情感細膩的小劇場，期望帶給觀看者有層次的溫暖與內涵。

2019年起開始投身插畫藝術教育，至今於大學擔任兼任講師。2022年度《料理．台灣》特約封面插畫家，2023年起為《乾坤詩刊》特約封面創作者。她也曾出版過童書，作品見於期刊和影片等媒體。跨界合作則與鋼琴家陳麗安舉辦插畫音樂會，和「深杯子」與「哲學旅人」舉辦「流境之旅」葡萄酒x哲學諮商x插畫。2006-2016年參與「文化尋根．建構台灣美術百年史」系列展覽的影片製作。

插畫合作客戶包括：Creative Edinburgh、Double A、House Plus 好時價(安富財經科技股份有限公司)、台南地政局、台灣電力公司＋中原大學文化資產保存研究中心、臺北市客家文化主題公園（北市府客委會）、上品生活科技、《料理．台灣》中華飲食文化基金會、乾坤詩刊社、雞籠卡米諾 Keilang Camino、聚場文化、加一點創新行銷有限公司+農業部林業及自然保育署、奧萬大國家森林遊樂區、嶺東科技大學、鳳東文創有限公司＋鳳山中華街商圈、台中女中、iPlay 愛玩親子藝術等。

*留學與插畫生活blog：http://vonined.blogspot.com/

*偶爾寫作＆小詩 blog：https://disquietpoem.blogspot.com/