The artist book Inspire and Expire by Hu Yifan uses minimalist images and only two words to make an important invitation to readers: Stop, breathe, and contemplate the world.

In the illustration of a mountain in Inspire and Expire, there is a minimalist shape and soft colors. We can’t even tell if it’s really a mountain, and apparently, nothing is happening. In the corner of the page, in small letters, just one word: Inspire. Turning the page brings a huge surprise: a burst of lava and smoke, a profusion of colors, wonderment. Expire.

The beautiful image of the volcano, which is also on the cover of the Brazilian edition, is just one of the scenes where the Chinese author Hu Yifan depicts the magic of time and contemplation. The book is, in other words, a powerful invitation to be enchanted by a sunset, the flight of an insect, the sprouting of a plant, and so many other beauties that happen in the world all the time, for those who stop to see (and breathe, as Yifan would say).

Inspire and Expire has already won the Beauty of Books award in China and was included in the international selection 100 Outstanding Picturebooks by dPictus, both in 2023.

The Author

Hu Yifan is a picture book author and designer. He studied picture book creation at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in China.

Specifications

60 pages
21 x 26 cm
Brochure
Weight: 0.4 kg
ISBN: 978-65-86666-38-0