Up-Close 2009-06-14 Production Designer Tim Yip-I

A renowned artist, Tim Yip has multidisciplinary works in costume design, visual and contemporary art. For his work in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Tim won the Oscar for Best Art Direction and the British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) for Best Costume Designer.

Tim graduated from Hong Kong Polytechnic with a degree in photography. Since working on his first film, A Better Tomorrow, directed by John Woo in 1986, he has become a leading costume designer and art director in film and theatrical performances. Tim has collaborated with many film directors of international acclaim such as Xu Ke, John Woo, Ang Lee, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Li Shaohong, Chen Kaige and Feng Xiaogang, and more. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; The Banquet; Red Cliff, these famous movies all teem with his wisdom and talent.

But movies are not the only way Yip expresses his thoughts. He's also involved in stage performances, costume design and contemporary art. In earlier works, Tim introduced his concept of the “New Orientalism” aesthetic, making him an important artist in helping the world understand the beauty of Chinese culture and arts. Since 2002, he has held many costume exhibitions.