CHINESE BORN, AUCKLAND-BASED ILLUSTRATOR, DENNIS JUAN MA, CREATES VIBRANT ARTWORKS THAT MIX ELEMENTS OF REALISM WITH SOMEWHAT SURREAL COLOURSCAPES. ‘MOST OF MY WORKS ARE BASED ON HUMAN CHARACTERS AND I WILL GO RESEARCH ELEMENTS, AND PATTERNS THAT SERVE THE STORY’, HE SAYS OF HIS WORK. ‘THE NEXT STEP IS LIKE PLAYING A PUZZLE GAME AND THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THAT I DRAW EVERYTHING ON THE SAME PIECE OF PAPER. THE COLOURING IS MORE ABOUT IMPROVISATION. IT’S LIKE JAZZ. BUT OF COURSE, IT HAS TO SERVE THE ART’. You seem very driven by music. Who is usually playing when you’re working on an illustration? ‘I love most kinds of music. Everything from Johnny Cash to Miles Davis, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Norah Jones’. Do you see a clear distinction between the terminology of ‘art’ and ‘illustration’ - or are they one and the same? ‘I think that illustration serves more as a commercial role where art can go way beyond people’s understanding’. How healthy is the creative scene in Auckland? ‘If you are talking about the market, of course it is not as healthy as in New York or London. If you are talking about the people, then I will say we have many awesome artists here’. Who are some other New Zealand illustrators we should know about? ‘There’s a guy called Chris Davis, who used to be my class mate. His stuff was at least two years ahead of me during our time at Uni. Also, there’s a girl called Sanjan Baijnath who does some really beautiful digital art’. www.whoisjuan.com Interview by Lost At E Minor - www.lostateminor.com