Faculty of Design
Illustration
Fangying Zhu
Defiance不屈
Illustration
2026
digital
9”x12”
“Defiance” is grown from a singular, powerful specimen. This illustration shows a hand tightly formed into a fist. It is not just a hand, but is also the ancient, textured wood of a tree trunk. This defiance is deeply rooted and possesses organic strength. The tree trunk rises, branching out and culminating in a large, vibrant, split open pomegranate fruit at its peak. Small branches and a few leaves form a crown above the fruit. This shows that the act of defiance is generative and produces something of worth, like the multitude of seeds within a pomegranate. Defiance is not a destructive force. It is a regenerative act of growth.
“My blood felland became seedsI broke openinto a pomegranatebright redburningI grew againnot for the starsbut simplyto live”
Celebrate the work of OCAD U’s class of 2025/2026!