Having a unique style is one of the most important qualities for a visual artist. As easily seen, you created your style in that manner. When talking about the unique styles, which artists come to your mind first? Who or which art movement in the art history inspired you most?

I’m mainly a commercial photographer, I mean there’s a trend and strict standard in this field. I must be very careful to put a little “my own style” in the photos. Trends and standards kill the creativity of photographers, that’s a pity for all the commercial photographers around the world. Shooting commercial, nobody can say he has his unique style, he makes money by a kind of compromise between him and the client. But shooting editorial and personal projects are much better, at least you can be yourself in some way.

I learn a lot from the contemporary photographers and some other visual artists, we are living in the same era, I can feel the emotion in their works.

If there is an art movement that inspired me, that’s Surrealism.

You didn't attend any school or course and you also didn't work as an assistant for a photographer. From that point, let's remember the statement, "Art cannot be taught". Do you agree with that? And what do you think about the quality of visual arts education in China?

I agree that art can’t be taught, people attend schools or courses to learn technique, I learned my photography knowledge by reading and practicing. There are only a few colleges in China have photography courses, and they don’t have good teachers there, as I know all the best artists in China come out from the underground.

Do you remember your first commercial photo-shoot?

That’s in 2002, I spent one month to shoot a photo pool for IBM.

In some of your photographs, we notice that you use the sharpen effect more than usual. What does it add to the images and how do you think does it make the audience feel like?

I really like my photos to be super sharp and noisy, I want the photos to look as strong as possible. I think when the photos are sharp enough it will make the audience fell the subjects in the photos. Also the sharp images look very surreal.

As an artist, based in China, how do you evaluate the current condition of the world and the future of it, in terms of politics, environmental issues and relationships?

I’m living in a rapidly changing country, and Beijing, the city I’m based, it’s the art and political center of China. So I feel very excited to see a lot of things coming and dead in every day. The first time I drink Coca Cola is in 1987, the first time I watched TV is in 1985, the first time rock and roll music appeared in China is in 1988, now Beijing is almost a western city and little by little lost its own tradition and characters. I don’t know it’s a good thing or bad thing.

Imagine that there is a country named "Quentin Shih". What would it look like? What kind of flag, anthem or language would it have?

It’s a crazy question, I never think about it, if I close my eyes and try to imagine, it will be a very small country with low gray concrete buildings, no flags, people don’t talk then no language,no plant, no love, rains or snows every day, and very cold, people have to hide themselves into thick clothes walking on the streets…

If you had a limitless budget, what kind of personal project would you create? Which models and what places would you choose?

One project I want to do is a future book maybe titled Beijing Babes, in this book, I want to shoot 100 portraits of deferent Beijing girls in their own apartment, naked or semi-naked, I want to record how they react in their eyes when these girls being naked and facing my cameras.

Another project I’m very interested in is to travel back to the small town where I was born and lived before 16, I want to have a few children as my models. In this project, I want to record my memories of childhood using photographs, and try to make this memories appear on the papers.

Imagine that you’ll be born again when you die, but this time, in a world without photography. What would your second life look like? What would be your occupation?

To be a soccer players when I’m young, then a guitarist in a low-fi band when I retire, and to be a novelist after 50.

Famous Turkish photographer Ara Guler thinks that photography is not art and he never accepts to be called as an artist. By the way, French poet, novelist and designer Jean Cocteau says “A true photographer is as rare as a true poet or a true painter”. What’s your opinion on these statements?

I partly agree with these words, since most photographers only record this world, not create the world. But there are some photographers like Cindy Sherman, Gregory Crewdson creative their own world using cameras. Commercial and fashion photographers like Guy Bourdin, David Lachapelle are also these kind of artist with their cameras.

Theme of the 10th issue of Bak Magazine is an abstract concept, this time: "Why?" What comes into your mind first when you think about that word? Please feel free and use your imagination. Create your own “why” and ask it to the world.

Why people have dreams and somebody’s dreams are chromatic, somebody’s dreams are only black and white? that’s my question.