©Alessandro Vona
Ivan Canu (Italy)
Illustrator, Writer and Director, Mimaster Illustrazione, Milan
Ivan Canu was born in Alghero, (Sardinia, Italy). He works in Milan as illustrator, critic and writer. Previously he served as a graphic designer for the International Balzan Foundation and the magazine Hystrio. He has written children’s books in Italy, France, Japan, China and Korea. As a critic, he collaborates with La Repubblica, La Stampa, L’Espresso, Corraini Edizioni and Salani Editore. In 2009 he co-founded Mimaster Illustrazione in Milan and along with Giacomo Benelli is the curator of the Illustrators Survival Corner featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair since 2017. He has published The Illustrators Survival Guide (Corraini). Among his clients are numerous international and Italian newspapers including La Repubblica, La Stampa, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, Die Zeit and Courrier International. He also collaborates with Yahoo.com, De Agostini, Feltrinelli, Mondadori, Einaudi. His last book, designed, written and illustrated, is a biography of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, published in 2022 for Centauria. He was prized by the Society of Illustrators New York, American Illustration, the Creative Quarterly, Communication Arts and 3x3. He is represented by Salzman International and Galleria L’Affiche.
©Leungmo for TUMI
Victo Ngai (USA/China Hong Kong)
Illustrator
Victo Ngai is a Los Angeles based artist from Hong Kong, China. She is a Forbes 30 Under 30 (Art and Style) honoree, a 5x Gold Medalist from the Society of Illustrators New York, a Hugo Award Nominee, and the first Chinese SOI Hamilton King honoree.
Victo’s art is often been described as magical realism. Each creation is layered with symbolism and stories that reveal more each time the viewer is engaged. The visual results of her artistic journey take inspiration from her Chinese heritage, art education from the Rhode Island School of Design, a love for classic children's books, Japanese ukiyo-e, modern landscape paintings, and more.
Victo’s collaborators include GUCCI, Apple, Johnnie Walker, American Express, TUMI, Lufthansa Airline, New Yorker and DreamWorks, to name a few.
Victo has served on the jury of competitions around the world, and given lectures at universities and conferences in over 50 cities on four continents. Her work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Independent, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Marie Claire, and more.
Emiliano Ponzi (Italy)
Illustrator, Visual Artist, Author
Emiliano Ponzi is an Italian illustrator, visual artist and author based in New York. He works for the editorial, magazine, fashion and advertising market. His clients include The New York Times, Le Monde, The New Yorker, Apple, Louis Vuitton, Moma NY, Cartier, Der Spiegel, Penguin Books, Hyundai, Esquire, Armani, Bulgari, Gucci, Martini, Moleskine, Airbnb, Lavazza, TIM, Pirelli, Ferrari and the Triennale Design Museum. Honors include: the Young Guns Award and the coveted Gold Cube from The Art Directors Club of New York, multiple medals of honor (gold and silver) from the Society of Illustrators New York. He wrote and illustrated 4 books: “The Journey of the Penguin” (2015) for the anniversary of the Penguin Books publishing house, “The Great New York Subway Map” (2017) for the MoMa NY, “American West” (2018) as a chronicle of his journey into the West of the United States published first ad a travel diary on the New Yorker Ig account and then as a collection book by Corraini, “Chronicle from the Red Zone “(2020), daily note on the first Italy Lockdown, published first as a column on the Washington Post and then as a limited edition book by Tapirulan. Last solo exhibition is “The Dreamer, stories from another world” hosted by Sun Ke villa, Shanghai from January 7th to March 12th, 2023.
Tian Dongming (China)
Curator, Illustrator, Brand design consultant
Tian Dongming is the committee member of Book Design Art Working Commitee under the Publisher Association of China, Association Typographique Internationale (Atypl) and Asia Design of China and Korea (ADCK).
He has won many design awards at home and abroad, such as the Gold Award of China University Exhibition in Milan Design Week, the China Intelligent Manufacturing Award, the China Design Red Star Award, the Russia Golden Bee Award, the U.S. ONE-SHOW Gold Award, the German Red Dot Award, the Jury Award of CIB (China Illustration Biennale), and the Excellence Award of Hiiibrand International Brand Design Competition, etc. His works have been exhibited in many cities in Germany, the United States, Russia, Poland, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Estonia and China.
He has curated many international illustration and picture book exhibitions, exhibiting the works of more than 100 artists from all over the world. He has cooperated with many well-known brands and jointly launched a series of illustrations and cultural and creative products. His works not only inherit traditional oriental culture, but also incorporate contemporary aesthetics, attracting the attention of many consumers and enhancing the influence and reputation of the brand.
Carrot Wu (China)
Senior Feature Editor, Modern Weekly; Curator; Owner of YESPAI CREATIVE / Yespai Gallery
Carrot Wu is the senior feature editor of Modern Weekly, responsible for planning feature projects of hundreds of celebrities, artists, architects and other top figures in various fields. She used to work at the BBC, China British Times, and THE BUND, and independently planned contents for top media magazines such as MadamaFogaro, Cosmo, Marie Claire, and Elleman. At the same time, Carrot Wu acts as a curator and the owner of the YESPAI Creative Brand/Yespai Gallery, cooperating with artists, curating various exhibitions and successfully implementing the first outdoor art installation on Nanjing East Road, a landmark in Shanghai. She has served domestic and foreign top-tier institutions and brands such as Dior, Cartier, Polestar, Coach, National Museum, Lululemon, etc.
