Dydanni Dai is a multidisciplinary designer and artist whose practice navigates the intersections of design, art, and cultural history. Rooted in a deep engagement with both traditional East Asian aesthetics and contemporary global perspectives, her work explores the evolving relationship between humans and their creations as a means of understanding history, society, and identity.
Graduating from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in 2019 with a BFA degree, and currently pursuing an MFA in Graphic Design at Yale School of Art (expected 2025), Dai’s practice is informed by a synthesis of Chinese artistic traditions and the broader globalized discourse on design. Her research delves into how material realities—ranging from ancient inscription practices to digital typography—mediate aesthetic, functional, and cultural transformations. By examining the interplay between form, medium, and meaning, she seeks to reveal the ways in which creative expression is shaped by both historical continuity and contemporary shifts.
Through her cross-disciplinary approach, Dai engages in a dialogue that transcends conventional boundaries between art and design. Her work not only reflects an enduring connection to the philosophies embedded in East Asian material culture but also critically responds to the fluid exchanges between Eastern and Western influences in the contemporary era. In doing so, she investigates how design operates as a dynamic force, shaping and being shaped by the socio-cultural landscapes in which it exists.
“White Papers and Flowers”
“Be Water, My Friend”
“You Steam, You Still. You Roar, You Fall”
Game Board 1 (Weiqi and Chess)
Game Board 2 (Chinese Checker)
Sundial
The Triptych
Quintuple Hanging Scroll Set (Forgetting Until Remembering Again)
Standing Screen 1 (Clouds Are Clouding)
Standing Screen 2 (Forgetting Until Remembering Again)
Commission
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