Urban life is monotonous, and we each race on the track of life, everything around us has become familiar. However, in this dense city, the blended architectural landscape, language, and culture may have quietly brewed a magical power. In the eyes of local artist Vivian Ho, Central’s skyscrapers, Sham Shui Po’s tenement buildings, Choi Hung’s rainbow village, Quarry Bay’s monster buildings, and more are all unique landmarks of Hong Kong. The city, where architecture and nature coexist closely, forms her dreamy and splendid vision of Hong Kong. Marine creatures float in the bustling city, giraffes, tree bears, wild boars, and other wildlife walk in the city, even if the world is upside down, people still live freely.
Vivian brings a series of rich visual elements to the ordinary streets of Hong Kong, creating a fictional surreal city with astonishing imagination and delicate brushwork. In the face of bizarre everyday life, the artist tells you through her work: instead of lamenting the absurdity of the world, it’s better to live even more magically than all of this.
Vivian majored in economics and oil painting while studying in the United States. After graduating, she returned to Hong Kong and devoted herself full-time to art creation. In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed. She has transitioned from oil painting to focusing on illustration in recent years. Her works draw inspiration from local popular culture and are infused with a strange and imaginative touch. Recently, she held her second illustration exhibition titled “I miss us” at SHOUT Art Hub & Gallery, where she continues to depict Hong Kong in a surreal style, capturing the city’s landscapes while reminiscing about a deteriorating relationship.
In this episode of Art City Travelogue, we visit Vivian’s studio and also accompany her into the bustling city. We chat with her about how she creates those magical and realistic city scenes with her dazzling painting style.
“Oil painting and illustration are two different processes, I cannot only specialize in one of them.”
When it comes to Vivian’s work, people may first think of her colorful illustrations, but in fact, she majored in traditional oil painting in college. She jokingly said that she never thought of the word “art” before, she just purely wanted to paint. There are no profound truths implied in the images, nor do they bring up any philosophical issues. Vivian simply combines interesting things she encounters in life with local popular culture, depicting her own reflections on life.
Oil painting and illustration, two different mediums in terms of creative techniques and skills, does Vivian have a preference? She shared, “Oil painting is like a farming process, you have to spend a lot of time adjusting the canvas, wooden frame, then slowly mixing colors, and also priming and waiting for it to dry, it’s a very long and lengthy process. Doodle, on the other hand, is like drawing whatever you want, it’s relatively more effortless for me.”
Careful oil paintings and casual doodles, there is no distinction between the two. Vivian humorously describes it as, “It’s like drinking red wine and sports drinks, both make you happy, but the taste is different.” The heavy oil colors show unique textures with each stroke, while illustrations are filled with free creative inspiration. The two do not contradict each other, and Vivian, who admits to being afraid of boredom, enjoys navigating between these two mediums.
“I have a fear of emptiness.”
In addition to occasionally changing media to inspire creative ideas, Vivian also creates a visual impact through rich composition. Every time you look at Vivian’s work, there is a feeling of full surprise because she always juxtaposes multiple materials in the same scene, creating a rich and lush unique image. When you carefully examine every corner, you discover new surprises like finding hidden Easter eggs.
She said, “It’s a fear of blankness. When I create, I try to avoid leaving any blank spaces. I hope that when people look at my work, they won’t just glance at it, but let the entire composition lead them on a journey.” This whimsical artist not only has wild ideas for themes, but also surprises with unexpected handling of the visuals, allowing the audience to naturally flow through their peculiar imagination.
However, to combine all the elements together without losing the beauty, a meticulous plan from the artist is needed beforehand. Vivian shares with us that the birth of each artwork requires a collage process, with the concept of the artwork being the first priority. Many people think that her illustrations are all digital drawings, but in fact, she meticulously draws them with an ink pen, and then colors them using photo editing software. She usually starts by deciding on the main scene of the artwork, and then gradually adds characters, decorations, and landscape arrangements to create unique and one-of-a-kind images.
Just like in the new work “I Will Save You and Escape the Absurdity of Humanity,” Vivian chose an old-style tenement building in Sham Shui Po as the location, and then transformed the scene into a large aquarium. Between the floating sharks, devil fish, and the buildings, a couple holds hands and looks up at the sky, creating a sense of spatial displacement that is incredibly romantic.
“This place has a lot of amazing things that only Hong Kong people understand.”
Vivian’s works capture the vibrancy and loneliness of the city. In addition to having authentic scenes, she also loves naming her works with Cantonese song lyrics. She has previously released a series of creations called “Cantonese Proverbs,” which has given her a localized impression. How does she personally view this “good local” label?
She thought for a moment and said, “Labels are interesting. Even if you’re ‘anti-label,’ that itself is a label. If you say I’m indie, that’s also a label that goes against the mainstream.” For her, works should never be limited to a single framework. She doesn’t really care about others’ evaluations and interpretations of her work; instead, she hopes that the audience can find a sense of resonance in her creations. Born and raised here, Vivian openly states that all of this may stem from a “Cantonese emotional bond.” She believes that there are many interesting things that only people from the same background would understand. Or perhaps it’s a sense of belonging and love for the city that naturally arises. Therefore, no matter how far her works travel to foreign exhibitions, they are still inseparable from Hong Kong.
“When painting, I have already let go of my inhibitions. I paint as fantastical as I want because it has become my everyday life.”
Entering the tenth year of full-time creation, Vivian has collaborated with multiple brands, media outlets, and art groups, and her works have been collected by institutions such as the M+ Museum. Last year, Vivian held her first illustration exhibition “Wish you were here” at a gallery. Prior to this, she had always felt that illustration, compared to oil painting, did not seem substantial enough to enter the exhibition hall. Although she had previous experience with solo exhibitions, she had never showcased only illustration works. With an experimental spirit and a desire for something new, she created a series of works with the theme “Love letters to Hong Kong,” which received enthusiastic support.
A year later today, she brought her second solo exhibition “I miss us”, the style of painting is still fantastical, but the city has quietly undergone changes. Vivian shared, “The previous exhibition ‘Wish You Were Here’ felt like speaking to a long-distance partner, it feels like you’re not here, but I miss you, I hope you see what I see, there’s a feeling of both being on the same page. With this exhibition ‘I miss us’, it’s a bit like breaking up with each other, but one side is unwilling to let go of this relationship, or unwilling to admit that it’s already over.”
This time, a total of 22 new works are exhibited. Vivian takes the audience back to those familiar streets, lingering in those scattered memories. The city has been constantly changing over the years, and this instability and variation make us feel regretful, like a deteriorating emotion, making people live in the past beauty all day long. The city is home, like a lover, with an inseparable emotional connection. Vivian said that the previous exhibition was intended to present a sense of loneliness, but this time she hopes to show a sense of sweetness in memories. Only what is sealed in the artwork can withstand the test of time. She said, “When I paint, I have already let go, and I paint as many fantasies as I want, because it has become a daily routine.” Even if the emotions are no longer in sync, it does not hinder her reminiscence of a “certain relationship” or a “certain city”.
“The way I handle things on the screen is actually my vision for the future.”
However, while reminiscing about the past, we are more curious about what the artist hopes for the future. After thinking for a moment, she said, “I think ‘I want you’ and ‘I miss you’ are two different things. ‘I miss you’ and ‘I miss us’ are also two different things. I think this is purely an emotional expression. The way I handle the visuals is actually my thoughts about the future, for example, there are many elements of the night sky, and the colors are happy. Even though there are many strange things happening in the scene, there are still one or two people who are easygoing and face them, and they are busy doing their own things in the scene.”
Everything has changed, but it doesn’t matter as long as we approach it with a calm mindset. She said calmly, “Even if the world is strange, even if the universe is peculiar, there is still a feeling of ‘let’s keep going’.”
In “ET Phone Home,” the alien girl walks into a roadside telephone booth with a stack of coins, hoping to call home and connect with that distant planet. When Vivian created this painting, she was asking, are we the outsiders here, or is this place our home?
Another “Home is where the heart is” giant jellyfish floats above an elevated bridge, guided home by a girl wielding a conductor’s baton. Vivian shares that she used to believe jellyfish couldn’t swim and could only drift with the current. As you look at the painting, are you the girl guiding the way or the jellyfish unaware of the path ahead?
There are thousands of interpretations of artworks, with some people seeing a fantastical alternate world in these works, others immersing themselves in the sweet sensation portrayed in the images, and still others extending their interpretations to the political climate of the era. There is no definitive answer to anything, and even the creators themselves do not wish to explicitly state the meaning behind their work. Vivian says, “I think I enjoy space and imagination, and I don’t like to say that something is dead certain. For me, creating is not about making a great statement, but rather about recording the feelings I have in that moment. Whether or not you can feel my feeling is actually not very important.”
Missing is a feeling, as well as a sentiment. The beauty that was once thought to be ordinary, at that time was only considered as ordinary. When today’s daily life is already magical enough, there is no need to cling to the beauty of the past. Instead, it is better to use all imagination like Vivian, and create an inexhaustible ocean.
“I miss us” Exhibition
Date: From now until January 12, 2023
Time: 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM (10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on December 24 & 31)
Location: Shop OT308A, SHOUT Art Hub & Gallery, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Executive Producer: Angus Mok
Producer: Mimi Kong
Editor: Ruby Yiu
Videographer: Kason Tam, Alvin Kong, Andy Lee
Photographer: Kit Chu
Video Editor: Andy Lee
Designer: Michael Choi
Special Thanks: Vivian Ho
Executive Producer: Angus Mok
Producer: Mimi Kong
Editor: Ruby Yiu
Videographer: Kason Tam, Alvin Kong, Andy Lee
Photographer: Kit Chu
Video Editor: Andy Lee
Designer: Michael Choi
Special Thanks: Vivian Ho
