Chengling Zhuge

Chengling’s work explores the intersection of visual narrative and philosophy, with a focus on how art can illuminate questions of authenticity and human vulnerability.

Chengling’s practice is both research-driven and deeply personal. Influenced by dystopian literature and existential philosophy, he approaches drawing as a discipline of inquiry and self-discovery. Technical study—anatomy, perspective, and composition—is paired with an interest in how stories can convey emotional depth and ethical complexity.

Looking ahead, Chengling is developing a multi-volume manga project that will bring together years of research and artistic training. This work, planned for publication at the end of 2027, represents both a creative culmination and a personal milestone. Through this project, he aims to push the boundaries of comics as a medium for storytelling, using it to spark reflection and open space for new ways of thinking about the human condition.

The fictional worlds Chengling constructs are closely tied to his philosophical concerns. By imagining futures shaped by technology, power, and human fragility, he uses narrative as a way to test ideas about freedom and ethics. In this sense, drawing becomes both a philosophical inquiry and a deeply personal reflection on how people confront meaninglessness.

Chengling has chosen manga as his primary medium because of its immediacy and versatility. For him, thinking and drawing happen almost simultaneously; manga allows complex stories to be visualized quickly and completely, with a cinematic scope yet crafted by a single hand. This balance of speed and intimacy makes it the ideal form through which he can build entire worlds while retaining personal authorship.