Petitezoe /
Zoe Sijia Guo
g.sijiazoe@gmail.com
Sijia Guo is a Chinese-born, Japan-raised illustrator and visual storyteller based in London. Working across publishing, editorial and cultural projects, she creates narrative-led imagery shaped by experiences of migration, memory and everyday observation.
Using pastel, coloured pencil and mixed media, her work is characterised by tactile textures, gentle colour palettes and a strong sense of storytelling. Drawing from both fine art and visual communication, she combines conceptual thinking with warmth, humour and emotional depth.
Her illustrations often explore themes of childhood, belonging and cultural identity, transforming personal experiences into visual narratives that invite curiosity and connection.
Alongside her illustration practice, Sijia works across publishing, brand collaborations and cultural commissions, bringing a fine art sensibility to commercial projects.
She hold an MA in Visual Communication from the Royal College of Art, and a BA in Illustration from Kyoto Seika University.
Member of Association of Illustrators
Visual Communication ( London, UK )
2023
BA Illustration
Kyoto Seika University ( Kyoto, Japan )
2021
BA Exchange in University of the Arts London ( London, UK )
Camberwell College of Arts
2020
BA Sociology Nihon University ( Tokyo, Japan )
2016
Interview
ILLUSTRATION AWARDS
MERIT AWARD 2026
Hii Illustration Competition 2023 Unpublished Category
MERIT AWARD 2024
The Spectral Sublime Online Exhibition, Phantasmal Gallery 2024
ULTRA MODERN, Fox Yard Studio - Art Galler Suffolk ( UK ) 2024
13th Dynamic Contemporary Artists Exhibition- Fukuoka Asian Art Museum ( Japan ) 2024
The Colour Show, The Tabernacle, London 2024
Bologna Children's Book Fair, Virtual Illustrators Wall 2024
Pri’s Art Salon:METAMRPHOSIS, London 2023
‘Open Art’ Art Number 23 BCN Barcelona, Spain 2023
WAAITT2023 Group Show, Easter Gallery, London 2023
Aesthetics of Bliss, 67 York Street Gallery, London 2023
Death of the Spectacle, 37 Kensington High St, London 2023
Small House Gallery, London 2023
Global Talent Art Prize (4th edition) 2nd Winner 2023 International Art
Prize- TORAM General Incorporated Association , Japan2024
Room, kara-S Gallery (カラス) in Kyoto Japan
2020
South London Lab in the Peckham town centre park in London
2020
Picks kara-S Gallery (カラス) in Kyoto, Japan
2021
The One Pound Super Short Film festival in London (2022)
The XP Awards in London 2022
Southwark Park Gallery Annual Open Exhibition, London
2022
Global Talent Art Prize (4th edition) 2nd Winner 2023
International Art Prize- TORAM General Incorporated Association , Japan 2024
Collect Art Sculpture & 3D Art/ Special Edition 2024
Global Talent Art Prize (4th edition) 2nd 2023
LandEscape Contemporary Art Review 2024
Last Updated 14.04.2026 by zoe :)
Later, There Were Many Yesterday
Written and illustrated by Petitezoe
This project is a picture book project exploring the quiet cultural life of traditional folk toys. Once part of everyday childhood, these objects were made by anonymous makers using simple materials such as paper, clay, and fabric. They carry within them gestures of care, imagination, and local ways of seeing the world. Over time, many of these objects have disappeared from daily life, leaving only fragments across memory, collections, and archives.
Set in the late twentieth century, the book moves between past and present, imagining these toys not as fixed historical artefacts, but as living forms that continue to shift across contexts. The project is partly inspired by the work of Li Cunsong, a collector and researcher who dedicated his life to documenting Chinese folk toys. Despite experiencing loss during a period of historical upheaval, he continued to preserve and reinterpret these objects, later donating much of his collection to public institutions in Japan.
Images