Get to know our Issue #6 "TRANSIT" Visual Arts Contributors!

Gabriel’s Responses:

Hello readers! It's been a little over a week since Issue #6 Transit was released into the world. After fourteen weeks, we are happy to see and celebrate with our contributors during our launch on Dec 1st, 2025.

If you want to read the journal, please click this link to check out the digitalized version of Transit. If you want to snag a copy for yourself, please send contact us at b222journal@gmail.com.

Couldn't make it to the launch? Never fear; the celebrations aren't over just yet. We had the chance to interview our contributors and learn more about their pieces and their artistic process. Meet some of our Transit visual artist below!

Albert Xu

Albert Xu is the artist behind “Accompanied” (page 27). He is a fourth-year Honours Bachelor of Illustration student whose work spans painting and digital experimentation. His artistic journey began during the pandemic, inspired by cross-cultural influences from China, Japan, and Canada. Blending traditional technique with contemporary media, he seeks to create pieces that evoke memory, nostalgia, and the complexities of identity.

This idea comes from a modern Chinese slang term “牛马,” (niú mǎ-cattle horse) which describes how society turns people into horses and cattle, forcing them to work and live without freedom.

Question #1: Are there any distinct art styles or eras that inspire your own work? 

I was motivated by modern Japanese anime culture, inspired by the core aspect of romanticism. I would say that I am more content to see myself as a technical artist, and lacking certain skills made me focus more on visual storytelling with traditional media. I used to think abstract art was just random scribbles and scratches that barely looked like art, but now I understand how artists can open a new path towards a more direct and simple way of expressing emotion. Because of that, I combine my knowledge of traditional painting with elements of abstract art to express my vision.

Question #2: What is the significance of the colours/composition of your piece? 

This piece emphasizes two horses with their heads lowered. They do not seem to be acting in their natural state. This idea comes from a modern Chinese slang term “牛马,” (niú mǎ-cattle horse) which describes how society turns people into horses and cattle, forcing them to work and live without freedom.

I chose the word “Accompanied” as the title because it comes from my own imagination of a loyal friend. A true companion is someone who is willing to suffer and work hard alongside you. They will wait for you when you are tired, and you will do everything you can to help them in return. No words are needed. That kind of bond is the most romantic thing in life.

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Iris Zhang

Iris Zhang is the photographer behind "Mikkaminumanosakura 三日見ぬ間の桜" (page 36). She is a first-year student in the Arts Fundamental program from Toronto, Ontario. In her free time, she loves painting with water-colour and taking photographs to memorialize the sights she sees in her daily life. Having grown up rarely taking photographs of herself and others, she now loves bringing her phone or camera around with her to snap moments of her life to look fondly back upon when she is older.

...the cherry blossoms were beautiful, but I had missed their peak bloom, and a lot of its petals had already fallen. However, many remained, and under the setting sun’s rays the blossoms were still glowing magnificently.

Question #1: Are there any specific thoughts or emotions driving this particular piece? 

This picture was taken when I was coming to a close in a chapter of my life, as I was soon about to graduate from my first undergraduate program in an out-of-province city, and I was also about to leave the country I had studied abroad for half a year. For both moments, I feel like they passed so quickly in a blink of an eye, and I felt like I wasn’t able to fully enjoy both due to the pandemic. This bittersweet feeling is something I see echoed in my piece —the cherry blossoms were beautiful, but I had missed their peak bloom, and a lot of its petals had already fallen. However, many remained, and under the setting sun’s rays the blossoms were still glowing magnificently. Those memories I have are still precious, even if I had missed its peak.

Question #2: Are there any distinct art styles or eras that inspire your own work? 

In my education and knowledge, I would say I’m more knowledgeable about painters than photographers due to my art history classes and personal interests in painting, so I’m unsure if there was a specific photographer I was inspired by. However, in regards to painting, I’ve always loved the soft light evoked in Impressionist paintings and how their painted light in brushstrokes seemed to glow, so perhaps there is a link between my love for Impressionism and the photograph I took. 

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Check out my other interviews with our Prose and Poetry contributors!

Want to know more about our prose writers? Read more here.

Want to know more about our poets? Read more here.