As an illustrator, I have always been fascinated with depicting weirdness in my artwork. By pushing the boundaries of what’s considered “normal,” I hope to encourage my audience to engage with the complex nuances of human nature. My thesis project, Don’t Touch My Hair, is an installation centered around the SMART culture among millennials in China. It includes three large horizontal illustrations, three sets of comic stories, three mirrors showcasing SMART hairstyles, and a screen displaying content from the SMART community.
The emergence of the “Smart culture” can be traced back to China in 2008, when numerous rural children were compelled to migrate to urban areas at an immature age to make a living during China’s rapid economic development. They inhabited the fringes of society and the underclass, performing the most dangerous and menial jobs. Lonely and helpless, they could only safeguard themselves by adopting exaggerated hairstyles and seeking group recognition and social attention. I conducted extensive research on the culture of SMARTs by analyzing SMART’s documentaries and their interview materials. Then I utilized various methods to present it to viewers through my thesis installation.
The three digital illustrations, “Barbershop,” “Skating Rank,” and “Factory,” capture different aspects of the SMART community’s lifestyle. The clean lines and high-contrast color palettes allow for clear visualization of the complex themes within each illustration. Through intricate details and a range of characters, “Barbershop” and “Skating Rank” illustrate the SMARTs’ social lives, while “Factory” showcases a toxic doll-making factory where they work. The three digital comic book stories depict the transformation of the main characters into SMARTs and offer a follow-up through group illustrations of their lives after transformation. These comic stories are depicted through illustrations, where the plot and the main character are closely connected. On the second page of the comic, I used a mirror to replace the face of the main character, allowing the audience to imagine themselves in the story by trying on a new hairstyle and engaging with my project.
Overall, Don’t Touch My Hair is an installation that aims to raise awareness and recognition of individuals who don’t fit into societal norms by highlighting the SMART community through different visual representations. My past MFA projects have explored fantasy “monsters,” but my thesis work focuses on real-world “monsters” – marginalized people. I shifted my art to address broader social issues. Don’t Touch My Hair empowers marginalized individuals by giving them a platform to express themselves and promote empathy and understanding.
Tianxin Li’s website: https://www.behance.net/TianxinArt
Instagram: @tianxinli_
