EVERYTHING
Vanilla Chi is an artist and independent publisher based in New York and New Haven who creates publications that ask readers to slow down and breathe. Drawing heavily from folklore, anthropology, and Buddhist philosophy, her practice explores how people construct meaning through symbols, rituals, myths, or even digital interfaces.
According to Creativeboom, Chi’s background is diverse, beginning with studies in clinical medicine in China before moving to New York to study illustration at the School of Visual Arts. Following three years as a freelance illustrator for publications including The New Yorker and Bloomberg Businessweek, she enrolled in the graphic design MFA program at Yale University School of Art in 2024.
The Philosophy of Contradiction
Chi’s work is not centered on conventional self-expression; rather, she aims to build perceptual or embodied experiences where tensions can coexist. Her inspiration frequently stems from contradiction—the interplay between chaos and order, sacredness and spectacle, intimacy and systems, and transcendence and reconciliation.
Her creative process involves accumulating seemingly unrelated fragments: essays, diagrams, archival materials, field recordings, and found objects. She compares this method to Aby Warburg's atlas methodology, which uses juxtaposed images spanning high art and advertisements to track how visual symbols migrate across different cultures and eras throughout history. In her view, meaning surfaces through this juxtaposition.
Projects as Fragmented Narratives
Two recent projects illustrate the practical application of her fragmented approach. Snakelike, Through These Grasses – Some Notes on Serpents and Portals is an accordion book developed from a reading performance by poet Quinn Latimer. Chi transcribed the reading and designed a "Key Score,