In the scorching summer, one can’t help but think of the clear blue skies, dazzling sunshine, and various outdoor activities that make us break a sweat. If we were to pair summer with geometric patterns, what shapes might come to mind?
This vision has come to life at Harbour City with “Join the Loop.”
This is a large-scale summer playful art world designed by Italian artist Lucas Zanotto, who is visiting Hong Kong for the first time. From the entrance to the platform space, there are pairs of round big eyes, colorful geometric body shapes, and smiling faces welcoming everyone, bringing a unique summer imprint to Hong Kong!
“Digital Craftsmanship” Master
Italian Artist Lucas Zanotto
The minimalist art style, soft colors, and round shape elements are playful and eye-catching, which are the signature traits of Italian artist Lucas Zanotto’s creations.
Zanotto, who currently resides in Finland, excels in creating digital art characterized by a minimalist, playful, and healing style. Their works encompass animation, film, painting, sculpture, NFTs, and large-scale installations, including a type that features looped animations. With their round, expressive eyes and charming expressions, these animations move and transform endlessly on screen, representing true digital craftsmanship.
His work showcases the limitless potential of digital art and has garnered multiple world-class design awards, including the APPLE Design Award of the Year, the Cannes Lions Award, the Best Promotional Animation Award at the Ottawa Animation Festival, and the YCN Professional Award, among others. He has also directed several animations and films and has been invited to collaborate with well-known brands such as Hermès, Google, KAWS, Amazon, and YouTube. The innovative designs he has introduced have successfully attracted attention, resulting in growing public admiration for his work.
His journey as a designer has not been easy, and he wears multiple hats as a designer, artist, and director. He candidly expresses, “I have always been fascinated by creating characters, so I constantly try to create in different forms. I think it’s my background in product design that has led me to explore many aspects of shape and simplicity, ultimately drawing me into this simple world composed of shapes and colors.”
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The World of Shapes
Whether in two-dimensional planes or three-dimensional forms, objects have specific shapes. Suddenly, I recall that recognizing shapes is a primary subject in children’s learning journey, such as triangles, squares, rectangles, and circles… Behind these readily apparent shapes, many foundational aspects for future learning are unknowingly established. In psychology, “shape perception” is also one of the cognitive abilities of humans.
Shapes may seem simple, but they’re actually quite complex and allow for endless imagination, and Zanotto is one such individual.
It’s just a simple geometric pattern, but through his assembly and combination, it seems he has created one character after another—some are chubby, some are slender, some tall, some short, and even some appear more friendly or a bit sly. Each one is infused with a lot of energy and vitality; those round, bulging eyes seem to tell a story, capturing people’s curiosity.
Suddenly I remembered that Zanotto once published a children’s book titled “Where Is My Nose?” to celebrate his first solo exhibition in Taiwan. “This is a story about a dog who wakes up to find its nose missing. It’s a great metaphor because a dog’s ability to recognize things largely relies on its sense of smell, and the nose is very important. So, it is quite difficult for the dog to search for its nose without it, but the way it explores the world and looks for its nose is quite interesting.”
But outside of the story of the puppy, upon closer inspection, it can also be found that his character has no nose. He slowly explains: “I enjoy simplifying things and making them very straightforward, so I break them down or reduce them as much as possible while keeping the essence of the character.”
In fact, it’s not just the shapes; he is also very particular about colors. “I love colors and also enjoy combining them. It’s a bit like cooking; different spices and combinations yield different results and feelings.” Later, he further elaborates with an example: “For instance, the yellow I use might be somewhere between yellow and orange, or the blue might have a hint of green to create balance. I always try to create harmonious tones in this way.”
Which artistic project has left the deepest impression on you? “I love all the works I create and feel proud of the things I explore and produce. I also dislike being confined to just being a designer, interior designer, photographer, or filmmaker, so I try to use different media and methods to create my own world, which I truly enjoy.”
“Combining different fields or forms is challenging, but I really enjoy it.” Zanotto said seriously.
Perhaps his creative journey is about not holding himself back from experimentation, embracing all possibilities. Just like those geometric figures rolling persistently on the rise and fall of waves or mechanical components, accompanied by music like MANTRA, they neither know where they begin nor when they will end. On this endless path, the figures find joy, and so does Zanotto.
加入循环
These playful eyes joyfully take over Harbour City, showcasing an “infinite” magic in a space called “Join the Loop.” As the name suggests, it’s about inviting everyone to step in and participate in this limitless cyclical world. But what exactly is being “Looped”?
Zanotto treats Harbour City as his creative space, combining the themes of art and sports. He has divided it into four major themed activity zones and two main photo spots, creating an incredibly charming indoor and outdoor all-encompassing sports-themed area. This is also his largest-scale creation and Hong Kong’s first art event.
The entire outdoor plaza of the Maritime Building has transformed under the vibrant and adorable artistic style of Zanotto, becoming a healing outdoor playground. From a sand pit and bike path to a water pool, it offers a diverse range of experiences for children. Entering the underground atrium of the Maritime Building leads you to the whimsical “swimming” playground — the 4.5-meter diameter bouncing pool, shaped like a mini swimming pool, is lined with soft mats at the bottom and filled with Zanotto’s designs of big-eyed and smiling snow pea characters. Children not only can take pictures hugging the characters in the pool but also combine them to create various fun expressions! Kids can enjoy playing in this giant “swimming” playground, relishing the joy that sports and games bring while experiencing Zanotto’s whimsical ideas full of childlike wonder.
So, the first “Loop” is to let smiles fill the entire Harbor City. “I think the installations at the entrance are quite impressive because they are massive, and people can walk through them and interact with them; it’s really cute. When you stand among them, it feels like you are in this world of shapes, which is quite nice.”
The second “Loop” naturally features its most representative healing loop animation, displayed on a massive 200-inch LED screen. In the animation, adorable facial features are placed on round bodies, engaging in amusing interactions that transform into various expressions. The smooth transition between crying and laughing is hypnotic, making viewers want to keep watching, creating a stress-relieving and addictive sensation that makes the entire space feel more playful and fun!
However, in addition to the large-scale art installations, the third “Loop” is his first solo art exhibition in Hong Kong, “Looping in Hong Kong,” simultaneously held at the Harbour City Art Museum. This exhibition features over 20 whimsical and soothing works in various media, including sculptures, paintings, prints, and digital creations, inviting everyone into the infinite world he has created. Notably, the 10 oil paintings in the exhibition are Zanotto’s latest creations, and among them, the “Hong Kong Selfie” series showcases adorable big-eyed characters cuddling together, reflecting their warm and friendly presence in the bustling and crowded city of Hong Kong.
The fourth “Loop” is a charming boxing match showcased from the maritime perspective of the stunning Victoria Harbour views. Characters designed by Zanotto are battling on a purple ring, where a pair of 2-meter tall playful fighters are all set to go. Beside the ring, over 30 figurines sway with the wind, cheering for the match. All characters are presented as roly-polies, able to persistently smile and stand up in any weather or circumstance! Everyone can join in this “boxing match,” practicing punches with the big-eyed characters to relieve bad emotions and spread abundant positive energy. “I also really love the roly-polies in the rooftop space because this boxing arena features Hong Kong’s skyline as a backdrop, beautifully contrasting with these colorful characters!”
As we chatted, I realized it was Zanotto’s first time in Hong Kong. I wonder what impression the city has left on him? “Hong Kong is a very dense city, everything is quite compressed, and the people are very friendly. I think it is a wonderful hub of different cultures. I find it very inspiring, especially since I visited the M+ Museum a few days ago; the space left a deep impression on me. It’s thrilling to see so many new cultural elements emerging,” he expressed, clearly fond of Hong Kong. “I feel incredibly honored to be in Hong Kong, and I’m also very grateful to Harbour City for giving me this opportunity, especially to showcase my work in such a large shopping center, in a very spacious exhibition area with a massive installation towering up to five meters. Just the scale of it is spectacular and beautiful, which is quite exciting. The combination of different works brings joy and fun to the entire cycle; it’s a great experimental result.”
The final “Loop” is designed to send you home with joy, which is why Harbour City has launched the “JOIN THE LOOP Activity Card”. This allows you to experience all the sports activities and complete tasks to win exclusive gifts. Additionally, at the museum, a series of super cute exhibition-exclusive merchandise from Zanotto is available, including handcrafted wool rugs, skateboards, T-shirts, stylish scented candles, posters, postcards, and more, so you can bring Zanotto’s smile home with you.
Healing Place
Beneath a minimalist style, gentle colors, and rounded shapes, Zanotto creates a unique healing effect.
With the joyful glow of dopamine colors, where healing others occurs, there is certainly a place to be healed. “I have created many of these endless loop works, so when people watch them, they are drawn into a meditative state by this repetitive pull. I think it has a healing effect, which stands in stark contrast to the large and rapid flow of information on social media; I see it as a small pause. If you find yourself caught in this loop, you need to take a breath and stop for a second; I think that’s important. And I receive a lot of responses from people saying they can relax in my space. To me, that is a wonderful compliment,” Zanotto said.
Zanotto hopes to use smiles as the theme and medium of his work in this anxious society, creating pieces that bring a sense of stability and make everyone smile in understanding. In this breathing space, he encourages us to truly feel the simple and pure joy and contemplate the power that happiness holds.
So this summer, why not fully immerse yourself in the art and sports cycle of Zanotto and enjoy the joy of movement together?
Join the Loop @ Harbour City
Date: July 19, 2024 – September 1, 2024
Location: Harbour City Maritime Square Outdoor Plaza, Maritime View, Maritime Building Underground Atrium, Harbour City Art Museum, Gateway Arcade Canton Road Entrance
