As she pulls from a rich visual dictionary of references to psychology and Chinese culture, Shanghai-based illustrator Yanjun Chen lets us peer into her explorations of identity and purpose through her work. “I find myself perpetually curious about everything, particularly in psychology, philosophy and the occult—perhaps due to my Mercury in Virgo,” she says. “For instance, the imagery of the Taiji diagram, an influence from China where I was born and raised, appears repeatedly in my work: You within me. Me within you. I strive to convey this sense of symmetry and balance through both color and composition.” She can chart her evolution as an artist from scribbling in her elementary school textbooks to studying illustration at the China Academy of Art, where she began giving shape to her nightmares due to academic pressure. When pursuing an MA at the University of the Arts London, Chen discovered the works of philosophers and psychologists, including Jung and Sigmund Freud, whose studies of the human psyche resonated with her. “This exploration of the humanities and social sciences compels me to constantly ponder and scrutinize, manifesting in my creative work as a process of self-debunking even in my fundamental techniques,” she explains. “I prefer not to use a single, decisive stroke to form shapes but instead repeatedly blend the same color block with a 30 percent transparency brush, a [contrast] to the efficient modern commercial style.” Seeking to crystallize moments of poignant interactions and tension within her work, she has discovered a powerful window through which we see both her experiences as well as our own reflected. “Illustration permits the artist to infuse their own subjective consciousness and establish a personalized order,” Chen says. “I do not wish my work to possess only a sweet, harmless exterior; I desire it to be meaningful, prickly and worthy of reflection.”