Montreux Jazz Festival China 2025 Poster Reveal
2025 Poster Competition Winner
ARTIST: Wang Biao 王骉 （@三没仙人）
This year's annual poster features the distinctive urban landscape of "flower windows" as the background image to indicate the venue of the MJFC—Suzhou. Through the flower windows, the most iconic building in Suzhou's ancient city area, the Beisi Pagoda, is prominently displayed.
(Read more below)
本次年度海报，以具有风格的特色城市景观“花窗”作为背景图像交代音乐节举办地-苏州，并透过花窗呈现出苏州古城区最具标志性的建筑-北寺塔。
The background highlights the IP character in the foreground: a band composed of three large-eyed, small-bodied creatures named Oz. They are adorned with top hats, dressed in formal attire, and holding their signature musical instruments. The defining features of Oz are their misty, hollow eyes and bodies composed of various plants, inspired by the ideal kingdom of Oz in "The Wizard of Oz." The bodies of Oz on this poster are covered with golden osmanthus flowers (the city flower of Suzhou), which bloom throughout the city in October, coinciding with the time of the Montreux Jazz Festival China.
In addition, an intangible element—wind—is depicted in the image. The direction of the willow branches' sway and the corners of Oz's clothing being lifted suggest that the wind is blowing from left to right. The artist has used indistinct, colorful lines to outline the shape of the wind, symbolizing the Western origin of the music festival. The band's movement from east to west represents the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures and the profound significance of the exchange of global cultures.
"The contrast between the large-eyed, small-bodied Oz and the flowers presents the thematic visual of the IP character. The former represents eternity, while the latter signifies renewal, embodying the concept of the cycle of life. It also reflects the traditional Chinese cultural idea that 'fallen petals are not heartless things; they turn into spring mud to protect the flowers.' Depending on the different works and the emotional or ideological core that needs to be expressed, I will choose different plants or flowers to convey a deeper meaning, providing the IP character with more flexible room for development and bringing more possibilities to the extended peripheral design," said designer Wang Biao.
以此背景突出前面的IP形象：三个大眼小怪奥兹Oz组成的乐队，他们头戴礼帽，身穿礼服，手持标志性的乐器。奥兹Oz的特征是空濛双眼及多种植物构成的身体，灵感来源于《绿野仙踪》中的理想国奥兹OZ国。奥兹Oz的身体上覆盖金色的桂花（苏州市花），满城桂花开的时候也正是10月蒙特勒（中国）爵士音乐节举办之时。
此外画面中体现了一种无形的元素——风。柳枝飘舞的方向和奥兹Oz们卷起的衣角提示风是自左向右的，艺术家以并不清晰的彩色线条勾勒了风的形状，寓意来自西方的音乐节，而乐队行进的方向自东向西，则表达了一种东西方文化融合，世界文化相互交流的深意。
“以大眼小怪奥兹Oz和花朵的对比呈现IP角色主题视觉，前者代表永恒，后者代表新生，有生命循环的含义，也有中国传统文化中“落红不是无情物，化作春泥更护花”的意思。我会根据作品的不同，和需要表达情感/思想内核的不同，会选择不同的植物或花朵以表达一种更深层次的含义，赋予IP形象更灵活的拓展空间，给延展的周边设计带来更多可能。“ - 设计师王骉说。
Wang Biao
As a member of the Asian Illustrators Association and a poster designer who has been awarded the Excellence Prize at the BIBF International Illustration Competition, Wang Biao (@Sanmei Xianren) has had his works selected multiple times for significant exhibitions such as the China-Italy International Art Biennale, the National Illustration Biennale, the China-UK Cross-Boundary Art Exchange Exhibition, and the Shanghai Youth Art Expo. His works are also collected by the Shanghai Youth Art Expo, the Shenzhen Illustration Art Center, and the BIBF International Illustration Exhibition.
In recent years, he has begun to create the Oz IP character. By combining figures in various states with flowers, he has constructed a magical metaphor for the contemporary world. From a grassroots perspective, he expresses the impact and feelings of the macro era on specific, small individuals.
作为亚洲插画师协会会员的曾获得BIBF国际插画大赛优秀奖的海报设计师王骉（@三没仙人）， 作品多次入选如中意国际艺术双年展，全国插画双年展，中英跨界艺术交流展及上海青年艺术博览会等重要展览。作品收藏于上海青年艺术博览会，深圳插画艺术中心，BIBF国际插画展。他近年开始创作Oz奥兹IP形象。用各种状态下的人物与花朵，共同构成了对当下世界的魔幻隐喻。以底层的视角，表达宏观时代对于具体的微小的个人的影响与感受。
