Illustrating Taiwan:

Nuomi (Chen Yufeng), whose illustrations often feature architectural subject matter, recalls that at first he was “indifferent to architecture.”

Always fond of drawing, he studied graphic design at secondary school and went on to pursue an undergraduate degree in architecture at National Taipei University of Technology. It was there that he learned to appreciate the cultural nuances of seemingly uninspiring concrete buildings.

Nuomi’s academic training influenced the bearings of his art, which is characterized by his accurate use of perspective and his deft manipulation of space.

Adept at depicting architecture and streetscapes, Nuomi breathes magic into ordinary Taiwanese scenes. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)

Though Nuomi doesn’t specialize in human figures, he has created a mascot called Boss Cat to enliven his street scenes. Boss Cat also features in his picture books. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)

A rational artist

While creative souls are often driven by impulses, Nuomi says he follows the dictates of his rational mind. Each of his projects is the result of meticulous planning.

To capture attention quickly, he used to capitalize on his architectural training, adopting low-­angle or wide-angle viewpoints for dramatic effect. Nowadays, he prefers long-focus views which are less mind-boggling, but confer a soothing sense of stability.

While he started out with black-and-white illustrations, Nuomi learned to use more colorful palettes in response to market demand. He has also followed industry trends by turning to digital art, which lends itself more readily to commercial use.

Nuomi doesn’t specialize in human figures. He regards this not as a shortcoming but as his defining trait. To breathe life into his illustrations, he “installs” a black cat or a Formosan black bear in the scenes he creates. These creatures have become hallmarks of his art.

These popular notebooks designed by Nuomi look like magazines. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)

Nuomi’s magical palette softens the chaos and din of Taiwan’s night markets.

Nuomi evokes a sense of refreshing coolness amidst the sweltering heat of summer.

Nuomi captures the spirit of Taiwanese streets by portraying iconic sights such as old-style shop signs, scooters parked on covered sidewalks, and lush potted plants.

Looking for inspiration

A peripatetic artist, Nuomi gains inspiration from Tokyo and Seoul, as well as from Taiwanese towns and villages. Personal experience has helped him distill precious insights into the characteristic street scenes of different countries.

Referring to Taiwan, he says, “Any covered sidewalk here has to have potted plants. If you don’t see these, you’ll wonder where you are. There must also be scooters. Another characteristic motif is the stalls that occasionally spill onto the covered sidewalks.”

Speaking of Tokyo, he comments, “The streets are clean and well planned. The vertical and horizontal elements of buildings are beautifully proportioned. For me, however, this also means that there’s less room for creativity. When portraying Tokyo, I prefer scenes where the new and the old intermingle. For example, a scene combining the shopping streets in Asakusa with Tokyo Skytree will look rather messy, but also very lively.”

As for Seoul, because the city “is not prone to earthquakes, buildings there can afford to have large spans. The characteristic architectural styles are also quite a bit different from those in Taiwan and Japan. In terms of street scenes, Seoul is somewhere between Taiwan and Japan. They’re also good at using LED displays to decorate their streets, which look very trendy indeed.”

While Nuomi used to focus on famous sites and landmarks, he now pays more attention to ordinary scenes in backstreets, depicting shops whose signs are notable for their calligraphic charm, walls covered with bougainvillea blooms, and corners of night markets at dusk.  

Nuomi says Taiwan provides plenty of inspiration for illustrators.

Active on social media, Nuomi continues to post new works that resonate deeply with the memories of his Taiwanese followers. Through the transformative power of his art, Nuomi presents portraits of local streets both familiar and magical, capturing the energy that arises from mess and disorder, the anarchic vitality of bold colors, and the kaleidoscopic richness of different calligraphic styles. The ineffably touching atmospheres he conjures up perhaps illustrate what we call “Taiwanese sensibility” in fashionable parlance.

Nuomi traveled to South Korea for the Seoul Illustration Fair. Benefiting from the popularity of “Taiwanese sensibility,” he attracted a lot of attention there.

Nuomi creates artworks in situ, oblivious to the attention of onlookers.

Warm shades of orange capture the unassuming elegance of Taipei’s Dadaocheng.

With a view to cultivating a more relaxed style, Nuomi has started paying attention to random street scenes. Every detail in this painting—the air-conditioning units mounted on the exterior wall, the potted plants, and the scooters—exudes a distinctively Taiwanese flavor.