Father Mother: XI GE Turns Family Memory Into Intimate Visual Storytelling
At the Future Art & Design Award 2026 Summer Season, artist and illustrator XI GE received the Silver Prize in the Illustration category for Father Mother, a deeply personal work inspired by the experiences and memories of the artist’s parents. Through hand-drawn imagery, narrative sequencing, and poetic visual metaphors, the project transforms an intimate family story into a broader reflection on memory, affection, and human connection.
Currently studying Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art, XI GE has developed a practice centred on narrative art, with a particular interest in picture books and graphic novels. Combining everyday details with emotional honesty, the artist aspires to become a compelling visual storyteller whose work can connect personal experiences with wider audiences.
Interview
Q. Please give us a brief introduction about yourself and your creative background.
XI GE:
I am currently studying Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art. I have a strong interest in narrative art, especially picture books and graphic novels.
My goal is to become a compelling visual storyteller and to explore how illustration can communicate stories through both imagery and emotion.
Q. What inspired you to pursue a career in art and design?
XI GE:
I have always been fascinated by storytelling and by the way images can communicate emotions and experiences.
I want to use art to tell meaningful stories that can connect with different audiences and allow personal experiences to resonate beyond their original context.
Q. Can you describe the creative process behind your work and what motivates you to create?
XI GE:
Father Mother was inspired by my parents’ experiences and my deep affection for their story. I wanted to preserve their memories and find a way to share them with others.
My process involved researching their past, developing visual metaphors, sketching, arranging the narrative sequence, and repeatedly revising the images. Each stage helped me think more carefully about how individual moments could come together to form a coherent and emotionally meaningful story.
Q. What was the most exciting or challenging part of creating the work you submitted to the competition?
XI GE:
The most challenging part was the constant revision. Showing the work to an audience could also feel quite brutal.
When you are deeply immersed in your own work, you do not always notice its weaknesses. Receiving honest feedback can feel like pulling off a plaster—painful for a moment, but extremely valuable in the end.
Learning to accept that feedback and return to the work with a fresh perspective became an important part of the creative process.
Q. How would you describe your creative style and the key characteristics that define your work?
XI GE:
My work is hand-drawn, narrative-led, and emotionally honest. I often combine everyday details with poetic visual metaphors.
Storytelling, atmosphere, and human emotion are the key elements that define my work. I am particularly interested in how seemingly ordinary moments can carry deeper emotional meaning when placed within a visual narrative.
Q. What has been your experience participating in the competition?
XI GE:
It was a very positive experience, and I am satisfied with both the process and the result.
Receiving this recognition has encouraged me to continue developing my work, and I am very grateful to the organisers for this opportunity.
Q. Where do you see the future of the art and design industry heading in the next 5–10 years?
XI GE:
As AI becomes increasingly common, many simple and repetitive creative tasks may disappear. However, I believe genuinely original, personal, and handmade work will become even more valuable.
Audiences will place greater importance on human experience, individual expression, and authentic storytelling. For artists, this may make personal perspective and the ability to communicate genuine experiences increasingly significant.
Editor’s Note
At the heart of Father Mother is something deeply personal yet universally recognisable: the desire to preserve the stories of those closest to us. XI GE approaches family memory not simply as documentation, but as material for visual storytelling, allowing everyday details, recollections, and emotions to take on a poetic dimension.
The work’s award-winning recognition at the Future Art & Design Award 2026 Summer Season also reflects the strength of an illustration practice grounded in narrative and emotional sincerity. Through hand-drawn imagery and carefully developed visual metaphors, Father Mother demonstrates how an individual family history can become a point of connection with audiences who may bring their own memories and relationships to the work.
In an increasingly technology-driven creative landscape, XI GE’s emphasis on handmade work, individual experience, and authentic storytelling gives Father Mother particular resonance. It is ultimately a work about remembering—not only preserving the past, but finding a visual language through which personal memory can continue to live.
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