Letters to the Future

Influenced by French philosopher Jean Baudrillard, the new ten-frame series by Chinese illustrator austin_sandwich explores the concept of hyperreality. The idea is that the human experience is simply a simulation of reality, and we’re unable to discern whether we’re truly living in reality or not. With each stamp-shaped frame, Zhu teases this concept by superimposing unlikely, surreal objects — such as statues of Greek gods, mysterious stairwells, and even the Los Angeles Walt Disney Concert Hall (a nod to Baudrillard referencing Disneyland as a prime example of hyperreality) — onto an identical backdrop, a geologic formation that changes in color from scene to scene. The retrofuturistic aesthetic that Zhu employed for this series is a way for him to express the relationship between our modern society and our future society. His ultimate goal is to “make people consider our lifestyles and living environments today and how it’ll affect the future.” See the series in its entirety below.








Behance: ~/austinsshoa941
Instagram: @austin_sandwich
Weibo: ~/austin_sandwich
Contributor: David Yen
Images Courtesy of austin_sandwich
