Don Chooi

Don has experience in photography, advertising, web and print design, having worked at Grafikos and Electric Art.

Don has a Bachelor of Graphic Design from AUT. His career began at boutique design firm Grafikos – run by the late David Bartlett – where he immediately plugged into the many design disciplines and mediums involving print and multimedia. After a couple of years, Don moved to Electric Art as a senior designer where he became more involved with studio management, art and creative directing. After nearly 13 years in the role, Don joined Media Design School as its Course Leader in the Graphic Design department. Though having worked in various mediums - ranging from photography, advertising, web and print design – his passion for illustration remains.

 

 

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Research Interests:

  • Gay male identity
  • Autobiographical storytelling
  • Graphic novels and comics
  • Asian immigrant belonging
  • Illustration

Current Research Projects/Grants:

  • Investigating and collating personal stories from the gay Asian diaspora in Aotearoa to produce an artistic outcome

Courses Taught:

  • Bachelor of Media Design
  • Graduate Diploma of Creative Technologies (Design)
Don Chooi

Highlighted Work

Conversations with my Ghost (2022) - 144 pages, Graphic novel

‘Conversations with my Ghost’ is a self-authored and illustrated graphic novel, standing at 144 pages (sans covers). It was completed in June 2022 as a research project that looked into themes of gay grief, belonging and identity. The story is semi-autobiographical in nature and holds an emotional and spiritual meaning. This graphic novel investigates the author's relationship with his deceased partner, through imagined conversations and dreamscapes. Through shared experiences with the gay community, specifically the bear group, the author realised that there is much still to say about the level of grief as felt from a gay perspective. ‘Conversations with a Ghost’ is inspired not only by his personal journey but also by these stories. It is a tale of surrender and reconciliation with the grief of losing a loved one, as told from the lens of an Asian gay man who left his family in Malaysia and made a home in New Zealand. The telling of his story is regarded as profound and poignant that gives a nod to the author's culture, sexuality and spirituality.

Divine Bear Bodies (2022) - Series of paintings, exhibited at Studio One Toi Tū

Each standing just under 3 meters tall, these paintings were painted as scrolls. The characters depicted represent the identities that make up the immigrant gay asian male – the allegory of the ego, culture and spiritual. It serves as a critique of body acceptance and performativity, where the larger body is often perceived as impotent and undesirable.

Boldology21 (2021) - LINK 2021 Virtual Exhibition, AUT

The gay male body is often scrutinised and assessed by mainstream gay communities to an impossible standard. This work speaks of the marginalised, larger, more heavyset (and often of colour) bodies, giving focus on the bear subculture. Presented as a digital collage, the printed work portrays these bear bodies as a visually powerful statement – energetic and emotive. An online panorama (360 VR) piece has also been created to accompany the printed piece to move the work beyond the physical. The integration of a 360º VR is a means of bridging the two concepts of seeing and participating – thus creating different and meaningful ways in reading the text. The work is eager to facilitate a space in which the larger male body is reframed as desirable and dynamic. The illustration style is expressive and agitated, displaying a visual allegory that is both gentle and bold in its approach.

SF Queers and Comics Conference (2017) - Panelist, presenter and exhibition

'Queers and Comics Conference' had been, till 2019, an annual event that celebrates, critiques and documents the craft and impact of queer comics and cartoonists around the world. Don was invited to be part of the conference held at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco as both panelist as well as a presenter. He was involved in talks regarding Aotearoa's role in the comics industry, especially from a queer perspective, the gay bear subculture and his own contribution to the field. Extending from the conference's two day event, Don also presented his Master's project, titled 'Homebound' – an 80 page graphic novel – at the Berkeley campus of the California College of the Arts.

Drawn Literature in Aotearoa New Zealand: Contemporary Perspectives International Conference (2025) - Presentation (online)

Held at the Université de Montpellier Paul-Valéry in Montpellier, France, the conference gathered some of the prominent and talented comic creators, historians, academics and critics from both France and Aotearoa. Don offered his presentation through online from Auckland, titled "From Malaysia to Aotearoa: A reflection in relationships and belonging told as autobiographical graphic novel". This presentation reflects on Don's journey as a visual storyteller, as a lecturer in media design, and as an academic researcher/practitioner in the field of autobiographical graphic novels. This presentation emphasised the sensitivities of autobiographical storytelling (especially with minority and cultural voices) as both the author and illustrator, researcher and practitioner, as told within the context of Aotearoa, New Zealand. It examined the boundaries of authenticity, vulnerability and finding a distinctive voice in the cultural milieu. The presentation concluded with a personal reflection that gave great regard to autobiographical graphic novels, and comics, in creating and maintaining space for stories that bring a sense of belonging and community.

Mulled Lives: An Artistic Expression of The Lived Experiences of Mature and Older Gay Males in Aotearoa (2024) - Series of paintings, exhibited at Studio One Toi Tū

‘Mulled Spaces’ is an artistic imagining of the artist’s identity as an Asian immigrant and being an older gay bear man in Aotearoa. This exhibition is shaped by mulling over the anxieties of the future for an older gay man and his place in the wider homo-community. Presented as a series of watercolour paintings, these murmured landscapes speak of ‘presence’, ‘connectedness’ and ‘space’ – searching for a want of belonging whilst contemplating on an idealised past.

Night out at the DINZ Best Design Awards (2024) - Auckland, New Zealand

Celebrating the best design work in Aotearoa, our students have been award winners for the past decade or so at the DINZ (Designers Institute of New Zealand) Best Design Awards! Under the tutelage and mentorship of the lecturers in the Bachelor of Media Design, the students enter works from the graphics, motion and interactive fields, to compete with other design institutions around the country.

Recent Work