Features

It’s Instagram’s world, and we’re all just living in it. March is Women’s History Month—a global commemoration of women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements—and right now feels like the opportune moment to celebrate women in the SVA community who are using their Instagram platforms imaginatively.

Below are five SVA alumni and faculty accounts worth following on Instagram.

Hyesu Lee (MFA 2011 Illustration as Visual Essay)

Based in Brooklyn and originally from Seoul, South Korea, Hyesu Lee is an illustrator, artist, muralist, comic artist, and educator. Hyesu’s empathetic art is driven by her curiosity about how people connect, learn, grow and face their insecurities and fears. Growing up shy, she found drawing people to be her way of communicating and connecting with others. Her work has been featured in publications like The New Yorker and The New York Times, Time Out New York, The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, and The Boston Globe, and she’s worked with clients like Google, Microsoft, Apple, USPS, United Airlines, and many more.

Follow her @heyheysu.

Jade Kuei (BFA 2003 Animation)

Also known professionally as Mumbot, Jade Kuei is a talented New York and Bangkok-based artist who illustrates whimsical yet haunted abstractions of her dreams and experiences and enjoys creating characters, comics, zines, designer toys, and installations of her mythical and magical worlds. Exhibiting work across the country and internationally, Kuei has published books for HarperDesign, DoPress Books, and Monsa. Some of her clients include Brian Doben Photography with Deutsch Agency for Microsoft, Kanibal Home, Forest Nymphs Bath & Body and the rock bands Taking Back Sunday and On the Might of Princes.

Follow her @mumbot.

Sunny Wu (BFA 2022 Illustration)

Sunny Wu, an illustrator and visual artist from Los Angeles, California, lived in New York for four years during her undergraduate studies and recently completed her postgraduate degree in Southwest England. Bright color palettes and grainy printmaking textures characterize her eye-catching, vibrant work. She primarily works digitally, creating illustrations that feel youthful and sensual. Sunny has collaborated with clients such as Hachette Book Group, NBC News, WeTransfer, Vice Media, The Guardian, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, and more.

Follow her at @bysunnywu.

Dina Litovsky (MFA 2010 Photography, Video, and Related Media)

A Ukrainian-born photographer living in New York City since 1991, Dina Litovsky’s imagery is often described as sociologically visual. Her work often explores the idea of leisure, frequently focusing on subcultures and social gatherings. In 2020 Dina won the Nannen Prize, Germany's foremost award for documentary photography, and she regularly contributes to National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, TIME, The New Yorker, GQ, and New York Magazine. Litovsky holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from NYU and an MFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts.

Follow her @dina_litovsky.

Deena So'Oteh (MFA 2018 Illustration as Visual Essay)

An award-winning illustrator, storyteller, and educator, Deena So'Oteh’s extensive editorial and book cover work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, Art Directors Club, American Illustration, and 3x3 Magazine, to name just a few. Guided by a passion for exploring the emotional layers of human experience, her expressive illustration style, which often features an evocative use of light and atmosphere, is marked by a deep introspective quality, processing personal and universal moments with sensitivity and strength. So'Oteh’s has worked with prestigious clients like Nike, Apple, Google, Condé Nast, Lucasfilm, and Penguin Random House, and her editorial work has appeared in the pages of Billboard, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, The New Republic, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, Wired and more.

Follow her @deena.so.oteh.