ABOUT
ARTIST BIO
Kelly (Zixuan) Qi (b. 1990) is a digital mixed-media artist and visual storyteller whose practice explores identity, self-worth, memory, and the human tendency to search for meaning and validation outside oneself.
Working primarily with digital collage, Qi creates dreamlike visual worlds inspired by personal memories, childhood photographs, and astrology. She uses these elements to reflect on questions about who we are, how we change over time, and how we can reconnect with our inner selves. A recurring figure in her work is her childhood self, who appears as both the storyteller and the main character. Through the deconstruction, layering, and reconstruction of images, Qi explores the relationship between her past and present selves, examining how life experiences, emotional memories, and social expectations shape the way we see ourselves.
Originally trained in fashion design and pattern making, Qi brings a strong sense of structure and composition to her digital practice. Her works often incorporate references to tactile materials such as linen, felt, embroidery, and stitching. Rather than functioning as decorative elements, these materials operate as visual metaphors for repair, connection, and self-reconstruction. Through her art, Qi invites viewers to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with parts of themselves that may have been forgotten, hidden, or overlooked. Her work is rooted in a simple question: why do we so often look outside ourselves for answers, and what happens when we learn to trust our own inner voice?
She is also the founder of TreaYou Studio, a creative project inspired by the belief that everyone deserves to treat themselves as a treasure.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work is rooted in a simple question: Why do we so often look outside ourselves for answers, meaning, and validation?
Through digital collage, I explore the relationship between memory, identity, and self-worth. Drawing from childhood photographs, personal experiences, and astrology, I create dreamlike visual worlds that reflect the ongoing process of understanding who we are and how we change over time.
My childhood self appears repeatedly throughout my work as both a storyteller and a guide. Through the deconstruction, layering, and reconstructing images, I revisit memories and emotions, exploring the connections between past and present versions of myself. Rather than seeing identity as something fixed, I view it as something constantly shaped by experience, emotion, and personal growth.
Astrology plays an important role in my practice, not as a system of prediction, but as a symbolic language for self-reflection. It helps me observe patterns, emotions, and inner contradictions, and provides a framework for translating invisible experiences into visual form.
Although I work digitally, I am deeply drawn to the warmth and tactility of handmade materials. References to linen, felt, embroidery, and stitching frequently appear in my work. For me, stitching represents healing, connection, and the process of bringing fragmented parts of ourselves back together.
My work does not seek to provide answers or resolve inner conflicts. Instead, it creates space for reflection, encouraging viewers to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and find meaning within their own experiences. Ultimately, my practice is an ongoing exploration of what it means to return to oneself.