For Yanni Chia, art has been a lifelong obsession. Formally trained in the traditional mastery of drawing and painting, he eventually found his true calling in the digital realm. Adopting the persona yawny.jpg, he embraced the life of a digital nomad, sharing his work with a global audience through Instagram.
Yanni’s journey began with hyperrealism, using Pokémon cards as references to transform real-life images into imaginary paintings, a skill that eventually helped him secure a spot at the School of the Arts Singapore (SOTA).
However, beyond the technical skill lies a deep fascination with philosophy. Yanni considers himself an existentialist, drawing heavy inspiration from the absurdist worldviews of Albert Camus and Friedrich Nietzsche.
This philosophical edge is evident in his capstone project, Rising Streetcar. Based on a quote by Camus regarding the repetitive, disenchanting nature of daily routines, the piece uses rolling balls as a metaphor for the endless commute to and from work. Interestingly, Yanni chose a calm, pastel aesthetic to portray this 'suffering,' creating a deliberate contrast that emphasises the absurdity of the human condition.
His unique blend of traditional technique and digital innovation culminated in his first exhibition at the National Gallery Singapore in 2021.
For this showcase, Yanni bridged the gap between the canvas and the 3D world. He took oil paintings from the Gallery’s collection and transformed them into immersive 3D environments. With the help of Virtual Reality, viewers could literally walk into the artwork, experiencing a surreal depth that brought his existentialist philosophies to life.
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From Singapore to Bogota
From designing massive dance floors for DevCon in Colombia to his thoughts on why artists are 'nodes' in a network compared to AI, there is much more to uncover about Yanni's work. To read the full feature, check out ASCENSION, the 3rd volume of INTERLUNAR’s zine.
