From Temple Memories to Contemporary Art: The Vision of Lo Hsin Ni

At the Future Art & Design Award UK 2025 Winter Season, The Grand Mission of Painting the Dragon Gods received the Gold Prize in the Mixed Media Painting category for its imaginative reinterpretation of Taiwanese temple culture through printmaking, watercolor, and childlike storytelling.

Inspired by the artist’s childhood experiences in Taiwan’s temples, the work transforms traditional dragon imagery into a vibrant narrative where heritage, imagination, and youthful creativity coexist. Through layered textures and expressive visual rhythms, the artwork explores how traditional culture can remain alive and emotionally relevant for future generations.

"The Grand Mission of Painting the Dragon Gods” depicts young helpers restoring and decorating traditional Taiwanese Dragon Gods. The artwork captures the lively spirit of community craftsmanship, where myth and everyday life connect through color and imagination.

Created with a hybrid technique of traditional lithography and modern watercolor, the piece blends carved textures with soft color washes, echoing the delicate craft of temple painting.

Detailed patterns, symbolic motifs, and layered hues highlight the beauty of cultural inheritance and the joyful role children play in preserving tradition.

This work is by Lo Hisn Ni, an 11-year-old young artist from Taiwan who enjoys combining traditional imagery with modern techniques to bring old stories to life in fresh, contemporary ways.

Interview

Q. What initially inspired this project? Was there a particular idea, moment, or question that sparked its creation?

Lo Hsin Ni:

In Taiwan, temples are not only places of belief, but also feel like living art museums full of stories.

I live in Taipei, but my grandmother’s home is in Tainan. Next to her house, there is a very lively temple where many people come to pray. Since I was little, I have always been fascinated by the dragon figures and statues there. To me, they never felt still—they felt alive, as if they were telling stories through their shapes, patterns, and expressions.

I especially enjoy observing the details, like the lines, textures, and decorations. They feel very rich and layered, almost like each part has its own personality and emotion.

At the same time, I began to realize that these beautiful cultural artworks are not easy to preserve. So I started imagining: what if children could help protect them? What if we could use our small hands and big imagination to give new life to these traditions?

That idea became the starting point of this artwork. I wanted to create a scene where tradition and imagination come together, and where children become part of the story—helping these cultural symbols remain bright, alive, and meaningful.

Q. What was the most exciting or most challenging aspect of bringing this work to life?

Lo:

I wanted to express the combination of traditional art and modern techniques, so I chose to use printmaking. One reason I selected lithography is because I love how it can reveal detailed lines and textures. I used carved lines to build structure within the image and create a layered visual experience.

The most challenging part was carving the plate. It requires a great deal of patience and control, and for me it was difficult because it demands both strength and very steady hands. Each dragon scale had to be carefully carved, and I needed to remain fully focused throughout the process.

The most exciting moment came when I printed the lines and then added watercolor over them. The strong textured lines combined with the flowing colors created a contrast that felt alive and expressive.

Watching the colors spread into the carved lines felt almost magical. At that moment, it seemed as though the dragon gods had begun to breathe.

That is the feeling I wanted to share—a sense of life, energy, and personality within the image.

Q. How was your experience taking part in the Future Art & Design Award UK?

Lo:

Before participating in this competition, I was actually worried that a work so deeply connected to Eastern culture might not be easily understood by judges from different cultural backgrounds.

Receiving the Gold Prize gave me tremendous confidence. It made me realize that the traditional culture from my home in Taiwan can still connect with people across the world, and that these cultural symbols can be appreciated and interpreted in many different ways.

This experience also reminded me that art has no borders. Even if we come from different places, we can still share ideas, emotions, and stories through artistic creation.

It encourages me to continue exploring how traditional culture and modern art can coexist, and to create works that are not only visually rich, but also meaningful and full of storytelling.

“I hope my art can make traditional culture feel fun and alive for everyone.”

Editor’s Note

In The Grand Mission of Painting the Dragon Gods, Lo Hsin Ni transforms Taiwanese temple imagery into a living contemporary narrative filled with imagination, movement, and emotional warmth.

Rather than treating tradition as a static cultural artifact, the work reactivates it through the perspective of childhood curiosity and creative participation. The combination of lithographic structure and watercolor fluidity mirrors the duality between preservation and reinvention, allowing ancient visual symbols to feel newly animated.

The artwork demonstrates how cultural heritage can evolve beyond nostalgia and continue speaking to younger generations through playful, emotionally accessible visual storytelling.

About the Artist

Lo Hsin Ni is an 11-year-old artist from Taiwan who explores the connection between traditional culture and contemporary expression.

She is especially interested in detailed line work, texture, and storytelling through images. By combining printmaking and painting, she creates works that are both visually rich and full of imagination.

Her art often reinterprets traditional cultural symbols through the perspective of children, bringing warmth, narrative, and a sense of wonder to familiar subjects.