In the past year, “involution” and “lying flat” have become the hottest buzzwords for young people facing this chaotic era. In the Edo period of Japan hundreds of years ago, artists living in the floating and uncertain world of the mundane, both loved pleasure and did not give up on creation, only wanting to depict the joyous scenes before them in a magnificent way, leaving behind the art genre full of Eastern aesthetics known as “ukiyo-e.” This time, ZTYLEZ also used ukiyo-e as the shooting theme, exploring with Sabrina (Zhang Mansha), who transitioned from a model and actress to a singer-songwriter this year, her artistic pursuits and attitude – facing the present world, as a new generation of creators, what record does Sabrina want to leave for this ukiyo-e?
“Ukiyo-e” can represent Japanese art very well, even in places like cafeterias and bathhouses.
During the days when Hong Kong recorded its highest September temperature in history, our photography and styling team, along with Sabrina, worked under the scorching sun on location. Despite the intense heat, she remained professional, even wearing a Bob wig to shoot for hours under the backdrop of one of Katsushika Hokusai’s most famous ukiyo-e prints, “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.” During a break for lunch, we sat down to chat with her, and she still had a smile on her face. Sabrina, who has a deep love for Japanese art, mentioned her fondness for ukiyo-e, noting that this style of art is approachable and down-to-earth. “Ukiyo-e really represents Japanese art because you can see it in many public places, even in places like cafeterias and bathhouses.”
“In general, Japan is a country with a strong cultural identity. All of its cultures are prominent, even anime, which can be considered a form of their art.” Sabrina talks about the moment that first caught her attention to Japanese art: “When I was young, I first encountered Hayao Miyazaki’s animated films, many of which I loved.” In fact, Hayao Miyazaki himself once pointed out in an interview that his work was influenced by Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950), a leading figure in the “Shin-hanga” movement of the Meiji period in Japan, bringing either a quiet and elegant or a vibrant and dazzling landscape.
Deeply love flower arranging: “Each of us really needs to focus on doing something to heal ourselves.”
The aesthetic of this transient world naturally gave rise to various other arts in Japan, such as Sabrina’s love for Ikebana as she grew up. “As I grew older, I found myself increasingly drawn to Ikebana, which is the Japanese art of flower arrangement that allows one to appreciate the beauty of nature,” Sabrina views Ikebana as a form of meditation, bringing not only beauty but also healing effects: “Each flower has its own beauty and meaning, and when put together, it creates a different artistic feeling. This is not something that can be completed in 5 minutes; it may take an hour or two to complete a floral arrangement, and during the process, it feels like meditation. We all need moments where we can focus on doing something, to heal ourselves. In fact, the Japanese tea ceremony is similar, but I prefer Ikebana because it is more beautiful and allows me to learn about many different types of flowers.”
Releasing three songs in one year, inspired by “fleeting” moments in life.
This year, Sabrina released her first personal single “In a Moment” composed by herself, officially debuting as a female singer (back in 2019, she sang the ending song “See You Again” for the movie “Ideal Country – Cracks”), and quickly released new works “See You Then” and “Not Bad”. The lyrics of “In a Moment” describe many moments of love with a loved one, inspired by many scenes in life. “Recently released the third song, looking back at ‘In a Moment’ as the first song of my debut, it is more direct, not necessarily having a deeper meaning. The word ‘moment’ in the lyrics does not mean many things passing in an instant, but purely the initial feeling of love, the feeling of love at first sight, a moment.”
“I think it might be just the pure feeling of love at first sight, the feeling of being instantly smitten when you see someone. I think that moment can make people jump into a fantasy. Sabrina continued: I personally also like to fantasize about things, that moment when you see someone, you can fantasize about jumping into another space with him/her. The first single is probably about this idea, but of course, sometimes this ‘moment’ can last a long time. Maybe you saw a beautiful fireworks display, and it can stay in your heart for a long time like that.” A hundred years ago, the ukiyo-e artists also saw the magnificent mountains and seas in an instant, or the gorgeous beauty of the flower streets and bustling markets, and painted many immortal “famous places paintings”. Today’s new generation of creators also write down intimate and resonant fantasy landscapes with melodies and lyrics.
Back then, ukiyo-e artists embraced the philosophy of living for the moment with wine, is Sabrina also a hedonist, or someone full of plans for the future? “Actually, no, I have a lot of planning, wanting to create many different works, but there is only one consistency, which is a kind of fantasy space.” Sabrina said her creations also have a lot of “accidents”: “The second song (‘See You Then’ feat. Lewsz) was also received a government alert (emergency alert system) at the time, that moment really felt like the end of the world, so I wanted to write a song about having fun before the end of the world.”
“Creation gives me release, not creating would feel oppressive.”
Ukiyo-e takes social life as its subject, and Sabrina is often inspired by daily life in her creations. “Everything in life can be inspiring, sometimes it’s very interesting friends around me, even a sentence they say can be inspiring.” Sabrina points out that rather than finding comfort in art, it’s more about the opportunity for release that creation gives her: “Not being able to create would be very oppressive. Because this way you can release, let others receive your feelings, and personally feel less oppressed, feeling understood by someone.”
The web dramas and TV shows are based on many themes from the real life of Hong Kong. Sometimes, Sabrina, who also writes and acts, has her own “back staircase ukiyo-e” painting: “Once, I felt the people on the upper and lower floors were very close on the back staircase. They were throwing out garbage or chatting, their voices were close to me, but I couldn’t see them. From then on, I felt that the back staircase was a very interesting space, so I wanted to write a story about the back staircase.” Sabrina said, “It’s easier to write love stories, in my opinion. So I used the back staircase as a background to write about this magical place. (Have you ever encountered a bottleneck in writing?) Of course, I have. Writing about the back staircase seemed boring, so I was stuck there for a long time, but suddenly I figured it out. I realized that being stuck was useless, so I had to do something else. When you don’t pay attention to anything and just go play, suddenly you come up with ideas. Creativity is actually an output, for example, when filming a web series, you have to think creatively. You have to keep digging out your inner self, and if you keep outputting without absorbing new things, it’s really necessary to go out and play for a day. You might absorb new things and become the nutrients for creativity.”
Appreciate the romance and delicacy of Sofia Coppola.
The night before our interview, we watched a short film about female filmmakers together. For Sabrina, who creates music and films simultaneously, which female artist is her role model, constantly inspiring her? “Apart from last night, I also attended two previous ‘Women Filmmakers’ classes. Her films were also used as examples in Mark Cousins’ documentary, one of them being Sofia Coppola.” Sabrina talked about her idol with great excitement: “Many female directors in the documentary I have not come across, but Sofia Coppola is one that everyone is more familiar with. I really love her film ‘Lost in Translation,’ as well as ‘The Virgin Suicides.’ I admire not only her scripts but also her aesthetics. The clothes of the girls in ‘The Virgin Suicides,’ and how she tells stories through the lens, are things I appreciate. In ‘The Virgin Suicides,’ a group of girls preparing to commit suicide and another group of boys. The girls play music on vinyl records and use the phone to pass it on; the boys on the other side also play vinyl records and use the phone to pass it to the girls on the other side, their conversation is communicated through music. This is Sofia Coppola’s way of presentation, of course, not to say that male directors don’t have it, but her romantic and delicate way of expression, I really like.” Apart from her requirements in clothing, Sofia Coppola’s films have beautiful and delicate visuals. Sabrina strongly recommends ZTYLEZ readers to watch more of her works. “She herself has a presence, depth, you will notice as soon as she appears.”
“王菲 knows herself well, so she can choose clothes that she likes and look good in.”
Besides art, how can Sabrina, who comes from a modeling background, not talk about fashion? The MV and arrangement of “In a Moment” have a dreamy and nostalgic feel, and she herself is very fond of retro style. “Yes, I am also very fond of vintage things from the past, the arrangement of ‘In a Moment’ also feels more retro. In terms of fashion, in my recent song (editor’s note: “Not Bad”), I also wore an archive piece from Vivienne Westwood in the MV, I really like styles like corsets.” The author immediately thought of her look at last year’s Gucci party, also wearing a corset style, proving that she is involved in the choices, not the kind of entertainer who is led by the nose by stylists.
Actually, the author lives not far from Sabrina, and often runs into her and her sister Gigi nearby. The casual yet stylish vibe of their off-duty looks is very relatable, without losing attitude. Who influenced their fashion style? Who is their style icon? “The biggest influence on us is actually our mom, who is a very fashionable woman. I have looked back at her past outfits, and she always paid attention to color coordination. I myself love fashion a lot, and it’s because of having a stylish mom.” Besides her mother’s influence, Sabrina also has a muse: “After truly getting into fashion, I feel that Faye Wong is also a big influence on me. Not that I follow everything she does, but when she dresses, she knows who she is and picks clothes that she likes and look good on her.”
As the interview comes to an end, it is inevitable to ask her what new plans she has next. “Actually, I just want to focus on music. (Do you have any goals?) I think it’s all about taking it step by step. Of course, I have some visuals in mind, but I still need to take it slow to achieve them.” As a Cancerian girl, her inner self is always more passionate than her outward appearance. We talked about art creation and fashion for half an hour, and Sabrina often appeared very gentle. But it is precisely this practical attitude that makes her more and more popular. Don’t believe it? Just go online and watch her sing live. Even netizens who always think they are cool are praising her singing skills. Will she paint more beautiful fantasy scenes of love and other things for this era the next time we meet?
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Executive Producer: Angus Mok
Producer: Gin
Photography: lambiseverywhere
Gaffer: dun_l
Assistant: ttxchong
Videography: lai.tsz.chung
Styling: Lois Leung
Styling assistant: Tamia
Make Up: @manmanflm
Hair: @nickienick @Orient4
Text: Meiji Ray
Wardrobe: Miu Miu, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Burberry
