Cleo Peng is an emerging Chinese artist and illustrator, whose career began during the pandemic, after graduating from The New School in 2020. In her book, Can you ____ me?, Peng examines the relationship of humans, the city, and nature.
Cleo Peng was selected as one of the winners of our previous Art & Photo Book Awards! With support from Bookmobile, we helped Cleo turn her series into a book. See more from “Can you ____ me?” below along with our interview with Cleo!
Can you talk about discovering drawing digitally and what impact it had on your journey as an artist?
I started drawing at a very young age. I used to fill up all my notebooks and textbooks with sketches of random people and things. I would draw a lot at school because, back then, being on your phone wasn’t an option—I always saw drawing as my personal entertainment program. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit in 2020 that I started going beyond sketches and moved my artwork from traditional methods to digital spaces. It was just something new to explore and a way to kill time during lockdown. I’d say it gave me the opportunity to use different mediums to create and try new things that would be hard for traditional tools to achieve—for example, motion, 3D elements, and AR.
Do you feel like creating art is what you were born to do? Are you from a creative family?
It’s definitely not the only thing, nor the most important. Art is one of the things I turn to when I want to feel connected to myself—it’s how I explore ideas. But I believe I was born to do many things, and I’m still on a journey to identify a lot of them. As for my family, yes—I see them as very talented and creative, with unique perspectives on life. They inspire me every day, even if they don’t necessarily work in creative fields.
How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it?
My work sparks feelings and new ideas. I feel connected to it—it’s a visualization of my thought process and a reflection of what I’m feeling in the moment. I think my pieces carry a lot of energy, and sometimes, depending on the personal state you’re in when you come across them, it can be a really beautiful experience.
Where do you see it going? What are you looking to explore next?
I really want to explore something more personal and create with more honesty. I’m looking to be more open and bring personal or real stories into my work. I think for the past few years, my work has been more of an overview of the world and subtle observations. Now, I’m starting to adapt to new techniques and mediums—not just creating digitally on a canvas. I’m also a visual designer outside of being an artist, and I want to somehow merge those two lanes. I think it’ll be fun.
Who are some other creative people that are making work you like?
Woof, I have so many—John Singer Sargent, Lucian Freud, Hayao Miyazaki, and some super talented folks I follow on Instagram: James Jean, Miki Kim, Alberto Mielgo. I’m also deeply inspired by a lot of photographers like Kin Chan Coedel and Alex Huanfa Cheng… The list goes on and on.
Can you talk a bit about the title of your book, Can you ____ me?
Can you ____ me? is an experimental piece featured in my book. For the first time, I added imagery and introduced motion and space into my digital illustration. The piece is somewhat interactive—as the motion progresses, more and more information and layers are revealed. It’s kind of like my true self hiding behind all the frames and noise. It also reflects the vessel people use to perceive me—what they touch, see, and hear. These two aspects create an interesting tension for me, and I thought naming the book after this piece and featuring it at the beginning would be a nice way to guide the audience through the book.
How does it feel to see your work in book form?
A lot of joy—I had so much fun creating this book. It felt like curating and restructuring my work. I got to showcase them in a different way, moving from digital to paper. It was like setting up an exhibition.
What’s one thing you’d like to accomplish this next year?
One thing I’d like to accomplish this next year is to maintain my health and energy, and to find more joy in the beauty I see every day—and stay inspired. I guess that’s more than one thing 🙂
What about in your lifetime?
I haven’t planned that far ahead—I prefer to keep things simple and stay grounded in the present.
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