Your interpretation or mine? Hong Kong artist Chow Chun Fai reflects in video interview

HONG KONG FOTANIAN ARTIST VIDEO INTERVIEW

In the four-minute video, Chow Chun Fai [art]attack 6, Hong Kong-born artist Chow Chun Fai shares his views on the ever-evolving interpretation of art and his own role as an artist.

A graduate of the Chinese University of Hong Kong‘s Department of Fine Arts, Chow is currently an active member of the Fotan art community, working primarily in Hong Kong and Beijing.

His works have been exhibited in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Manchester, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Palermo, and Verona.

In his “Painting on Movie” series, Chow appropriates stills from popular cinema. Through the remaking process, the artist explores the differences between his own understanding and the audience’s interpretation.

…everyone has his or her own interpretation of things. Sometimes even the artist’s interpretation of his or her own artwork can change over time.

Chow Chun Fai, 'Infernal Affairs, “I want my identity back”', 2007, enamel paint on canvas.

While everyone’s interpretations may not be exactly the same, Chow believes the messages of culture and identity can easily transcend borders. On his first movie painting depicting a scene from the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, he remarks:

There are many scenes in this movie that cannot be translated, but you would still understand the movie regardless of your cultural background.

Despite being a well-established artist and winning multiple awards such as the Hong Kong Arts Centre 30th Anniversary Award Grand Prize and the Sovereign Asian Art Prize, Chow says being a Hong Kong artist remains a considerable challenge:

…your work needs to involve more than just creativity. You might also need to be your own agent and writer, etc.

The road of creativity can make for a bumpy ride, but Chow maintains a firm belief in himself:

Sometimes you can love what you do. Sometimes you get confused… I believe in everything I do.

Watch the video on the ChooChooTV show [art]attack (length of video, 4:09 mins).

VL/KN

Related Topics: Hong Kong artists, Fotanian artists, videos

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Fotan 2010 – a growing cluster of art studios in Hong Kong

HONG KONG ART STUDIOS

Fo Tan is a place that you might not be able to name straight away when speaking of Hong Kong’s local art. However, this fading industrial district is home to more than 50 art studios and 180 artists. Each year in January many of Fo Tan’s artists invite outsiders into their studios to show their work as well as to exchange ideas and dialogue.

Fotanian Open Studio Programme 2010  which showcases artwork of a multitude of media, including paintings, sculptures, ceramics, mixed media, printmaking, installations, photographic and video works, is the eighth incarnation of the event.

This year CNNGo takes a peek inside some of the studios and interviews the artists about their experience of Fotan.

Chow Chun Fai at Studio 1023: “Fotanian follows no rules. It’s a natural process. People come and go. It renews itself.”

Homan Ho at G16: “Fotanian is coming together to be able to dream together, even if we still need that day job.”

Sculpture and furniture designer Homan Ho is sitting in front of the bookshelf he made for G16, the unofficial café of this year’s Fotanian event.

Installation artist Samuel Adam Swope (left) and painter Sarah Lai share the studio “just like honey.”

Swope: “People think Fotanian is a festival. I think it’s more like a carnival. You know, more casual. For all walks of life to have fun.”
Lai: “Fotanian is like your private space within a family.”

For more, please visit CCNGo

If you were not able to visit during the open studio event  and CNN’s report is not enough for you, you can arrange your own visit at any time during the year by taking a look at the website Fotanian.com. Here you will find a map and a complete list of artists, the location of their studios and contact details.

 LLH

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• Embedding the Bed in Public Space – interview Hong Kong artist and ParaSite director Tim Li
• Sound art, trickery and time – interview Hong Kong new media artist Chilai Howard Cheng