Miller Fisher

Faiyaz Jafri was born and raised in rural Holland of Dutch and Pakistani descent. He studied at the Technical University of Delft (MSc) and is self-taught as an animation artist and music composer. His work has been exhibited in the form of print, paintings, video installations, animations and life size sculptures all over the world. Jafri’s award winning films have screened in prestigious festivals and museums. He has worked for commercial clients including, IBM, Coca Cola and Ford.

Jafri’s art explores Jungian archetypes in the modern world, distilling the pop references of mass media and global popular culture into a visual shorthand of neo-archetypes. Realizing early on that a computer could draw a straighter line than he ever could, Jafri started using computers as soon as the technology became more readily available. In 1987 he began making his first illustrations on an Apple computer using basic vector imaging software. Cumbersome and limited as these programs may seem now, they were perfect for Jafri’s already pictographic style. As the technology evolved, his work developed from flat line art into a stripped-down 3D computer graphics style he calls hyper-unrealism. Despite the endless possibilities offered by computers today, he stays close to his subject, leaving out unnecessary frills and extras until he’s left with an image that is unambiguous and almost obscene in it’s blunt power.

In 2016 Jafri co-founded the Third Culture Film Festival, the first truly independent film festival in Hong Kong. He is also the curator and creative director of the festival.

Faiyaz Jafri lives and works in Hong Kong.