Summer Reading Club #22 | Sun Sijia

In this reading session, we will take the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo as a starting point to delve into some of the unique cultural exhibits, designs, and national pavilions featured at this global event. The Expo is not just a display of innovation, but a showcase of the world’s diverse cultures and their approaches to the future. Sun Sijia will guide us through the experience of the Expo, highlighting some key pavilions and designs that reflect the distinct charm and cultural narratives behind them.The discussion will then expand to explore contemporary graphic design in Osaka, the Kansai region, and Japan as a whole. We’ll examine how Japanese designers are responding to the evolving needs of the times, while also maintaining cultural traditions through their work. This will lead to an exploration of how design shapes and communicates culture, particularly in Japan, and its important role in the global design landscape.

Sun Sijia will also share insights on how these designers are influencing the future of design and how the diverse design approaches across the world shape our understanding of culture and technology. This session will stimulate thought on the potential of design to transform our future lives and cultures.

 

 

About the Guest

Sun Sijia

Sun Sijia is a graphic designer, art director, university lecturer, and design columnist. Born in 1989 in Shanghai, China, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art Design from Shanghai Theatre Academy and a Master’s degree in Basic Design from Musashino Art University in Japan. He studied under renowned designers such as Kenji Ekuan and Takahiro Iwadate, focusing on design theory and practical exercises.
Sun Sijia interned at the Kenji Ekuan Design Research Institute of Japan Design Center and worked as a graphic designer at Sato Design Office (TSDO Inc.). Since 2020, he has been teaching at Shanghai Visual Arts College and now leads the Sun Sijia Design Studio.
His design works have won numerous awards, including the Red Dot Design Award (Germany), Golden Pin Design Award (Taiwan) – Best of the Year, Japan’s Young Designer Award – Grand Prix, and Jin Diqiang Design Award – Future Designer Award.

Since 2020, he has been writing a design interview column, Breathing, and has worked on promoting and bridging the exchange of design culture between China and Japan.

Exhibition Experience
2019: Graphic Expand – Shanghai Theatre Academy, Shanghai, China
2018: Shaping Thoughts – Ginza, Tokyo, Japan
2017: Shaping Thoughts – Shanghai, China
2016: Characters: Designers and Design – Guangzhou, China
2015: Award-winning Works of the Japan Young Designers Award – Tokyo International Forum

 

 

Event Date: Saturday, August 16,2025

Time: 19:30-21:00

 

 

Selected Works: