Life is in constant motion in Chiara Xie’s kinetic and flowing illustrations

In illustrator Chiara Xie’s work, everything is in motion. Rooted in a deep reverence for vitality, Chiara is fascinated by “the rhythm that flows through a scene”, lingering like a suspended breath, and other times “surging as a vibrant, agile current of motion”. It’s not hard to know what she means: every illustration is filled with motion, arcs of light and air bouncing off every corner. “I use visual clues to weave these sensations together, so the art doesn’t just show a movement, but invites the viewer to feel the life flowing within it,” says Chiara.

Growing up between China and Italy, “two cultures with deep histories and different vibes”, the now Montreal-based illustrator cultivated an aesthetic of elegant motion, drawn to the drama and storytelling embedded within architectural shapes. Drawing from the latter, Italian futurism plays a strong role in shaping the rhythm, geometry and fluidity of human life. “Yann Kebbi is also another inspiration, I love how he captures the fluid movement of people and places in everyday life,” says Chiara. “For me, a landscape is a living stage where geometry and perspective dictate the flow of the story.”

Currently focusing on sport, wellness and travel, Chiara works across a digital hybrid practice; starting in a sketchbook then moving to Procreate and Photoshop for colour and final rendering, using grain-textured brushwork to give the illustrations an airy feel. In one illustration, a blistering, snowy wind in Montreal is rendered as a magical winter wonderland. There are no straight lines, only continuously bubbling and arching arrays of movement. That’s what makes Chiara’s work feel so alive; humanity is characterised by the swirling world around the characters, moving in tandem with an ebullient nature.