We had the good fortune of connecting with YILIN DING and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi YILIN, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
It’s always changing, every piece and every project is a new adventure, it’s fun, and you don’t have to stay in a constant state of boredom, which is very important to me. As an undergraduate, I majored in Chinese Painting, but for my master’s degree, I applied to the Scenography program at the Brera Academy. For me, pursuing art has brought me different experiences, which have turned into beautiful memories and experiences that have slowly woven themselves into my life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
There are many forms of artistic expression in my work and I am always experimenting with new forms of painting. Petroglyphs, a form of painting that I have been interested in and studying since my undergraduate studies, originated in China, where powdered minerals mixed with gelatin are used to paint on materials such as cloth. During graduate school, I majored in scenography, but the elements of Chinese painting that I learned in college are often used, such as adding elements of 2D graphic Chinese painting to 3D animation.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First of all, the most beautiful places in Milan must not be its most famous ones. The Cimitero Monumentale( Monumental Cemetery ）is a must-see; it is a free open-air sculpture museum, and if we bring paper and pens and a small stool, we can sketch there all day. Then you can have a Chinese meal in Chinatown on the side. The sushi buffet in Milan is cheap and delicious. The former mental hospital near Milan is also a good place to visit. There are no more mental hospitals in Italy, but the remains of what once was are still there and open to the public, making for a great location. Secondly, Leonardo da Vinci’s Il Cenacolo (The Last Supper）and Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci in Milan are not to be missed.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
When I decided to cross-major in Scenography, my family didn’t support me and I was confused about the fact that I always kept changing the path I wanted to stick to, but my teachers and my close friends helped me a lot. I always remember what one of my Italian teachers, Vanessa, said to me: ”It’s good to always want to try to experience new things, you’re still young and shouldn’t be bothered by it. ” My good friend Chai has also helped me a lot professionally. All in all, there are a lot of people I want to dedicate my shoutout to.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yilin10ding/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yilin-ding-9472a52b0/

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