Meet our artist community: Q&As
Part of an ongoing series, members of our artist community share insights about their work, their stories and their relationship to ACAVA. Visit this page to read more.
Qian-Hui Yu is one of three winners of last year’s ACAVA Hosts: Three Counties Open Residency. In partnership with Keele University and the Three Counties Open Art Exhibition, the three winning artists will each benefit from a one-month-long residency at ACAVA Spode Works Studios in Stoke-on-Trent.
Qian is an animation director and illustrator based in Stoke-on-Trent. She specialises in 2D frame-by-frame animation, crafting vibrant, imaginative worlds through expressive character design, rich colour palettes, and hand-painted textures.
Qian’s residency started on 7 April 2025 – read on to learn more about how she blends digital and hand-drawn techniques, her recent BFI-funded film project, and why she’s experimenting with graphic design and ceramics during her time at Spode Works.
Your name?
Qian-Hui Yu
Your type of art practice?
2D animation, illustration, ceramics
Would you like to tell us about yourself?
I was born and raised in Guilin, China. I have also lived in Hangzhou, London, and now in Stoke-on-Trent.
I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. I studied Fine Art for my BA at the China Academy of Art, where I had the chance to explore all sorts of arts like New Media, Sculpture, Sound Art, etc. Then I discovered my interest in animation. I was drawn to the expressive power of moving images and how they can bring ideas and emotions to life in a unique way. After that, I moved to London to study Experimental Animation at the Royal College of Art.
I’ve been working as a freelance animation director, animator, and illustrator for five years since graduating, collaborating with various international clients and organisations on creative projects. Most recently, I completed Statue in the Garden, a short animated film funded by the BFI Network with support from the National Lottery and produced by Animate Projects.
What are your plans for your upcoming residency at ACAVA Spode Works Studios?
Currently, I’m exploring new materials, focusing more on graphic design before transforming the work into animation. I’ve been considering minimising the visual language in my art practice, and now is a great time for this exploration. I’m also planning to host an exhibition during the final week of my residency, including a screening of my recent animated short film and displaying some framed painted elements.
What kind of art do you make?
I make animation, illustration, and tiny ceramic sculptures. For animation, I sometimes paint the background and other elements on paper, then draw 2D frame-by-frame animation digitally. I like layering digital and hand-drawn elements and exploring textures and non-traditional animation styles.
What themes are you interested in?
I am always finding inspiration around me, even in simple places like my garden or my cat. I have made films addressing bigger issues like food waste and other aspects of our modern lives that are challenging. By blending both big-picture and hyperlocal inspiration, I think my work can be approachable even when dealing with heavier themes.
What inspires you to keep making art?
I think every artist knows it is hard to make a living from art. I have been lucky that my commercial clients have given me the space to respond to briefs in my own visual style, but it is true that you have to take on commercial work to survive as an artist. I love the process of making animation and refining my visual style, so having the opportunity to work on my own film (together with Animate Projects and funded by the BFI Network) was amazing for me. I chose to focus on Stoke-on-Trent for the film, and I’m looking forward to screening it at the end of my ACAVA residency.
Do you collaborate with others?
I often collaborate with sound designers, which is a really exciting part of the animation-making process—it’s always interesting to see how other creatives interpret my work and what sound decisions they make to complement it. I often learn something new about my animations when I hear the sound design.
I also collaborate with my partner to make some ceramics, and seeing my work in 3D as well as 2D is always interesting.
Do you have any upcoming shows or events?
I have a couple of art markets coming up in May (Duplicate Publishing Fair in Birmingham and Fine Lines Festival in Cheltenham), where I’ll be selling my prints and ceramics. I’ll also be speaking about my animation practice at Motion North in July, a quarterly meetup for animators in Manchester.
Then in October, I’ll be doing a screening and talk with my producer, Abigail, at Artcore Gallery in Derby.
