Naomi Chan is a young artist whose work is related to new media and programming. Her installation “Video Vending Machine – A Piece of Sky” is currently visible at the Input/Output Gallery in Hong Kong. She is a brilliant young woman and a promising artist and I wanted to know a little more about her.
Where were you born? And how old are you?
I’m from Hong Kong and I’m 22.
When did you decide to follow an artistic path?
I studied art by myself until I was sixteen. Since my school didn’t have art classes, I went to the painting centre, where you can learn and meet local artists. The reason why I choose art is because I wanted to express myself. This is interesting, because I love art, I love drawing, I love painting but painting is different from text: You just need a pen to draw to express yourself and deliver a visual message to the public. I think it is a much stronger way to make people think.
During your studies, you learnt about art history: did you learn about foreign art history, Chinese art history, or both?
Actually, I learn about local art history, Hong Kong things first. Since my teachers are local artists, they teach many things about local art. And only after, at university, I learnt about the –isms: Cubism, impressionism, etc. At the very beginning, I just learnt how to express myself from the basics.
If that is possible, because it is not always possible, can you tell me what is your favourite piece of art?
Present? or yet to come?
Laughs!
Interesting comment… First, present?
I can provide two maybe: I think this one (she shows the Video Vending Machine – A Piece of Sky) because I really like the concept; it represents the concept of my mind: through this work I understands myself more. And the other piece is a kind of prototype actually. It is a cube that I can rotate, light can diffract in the water inside, but I can’t get above the technical problems yet.
And from other artist, is there piece of art that you really like? Is there an artist who you feel close to?
I can have a little bit of connection but it is easier for me to think of the artist’s work. For me it is a little bit hard to feel associated to another artist’s work, since creating is a self-analysing process.
Actually, I can give you a name, Tian Shu (天书) by Xu Bing (徐 冰). His work impressed me very much. He took about four years to try to do a stamp. I think the duration of making work is somehow enjoyable or depressing, the process is interesting, really interesting. I love to experience that, so I love his work. And the piece is really massive!
Talking about the process of creation, how do you work? Do you work on one piece after another or do you work on different pieces at the same time?
Interesting! It depends on the stage of my studies or life I am at. Since my pieces are related to my studies, I need to have a grade so I need to have as much pieces as possible going on. So I keep thinking about all the ideas I can have: on Monday, I develop this one and one Tuesday I develop another one. There is always an on going project.
Do you enjoy working like that or is it difficult for you?
Sometime I would blame it: too easy! But I think work needs time to develop, so it buys me time to work. If I have ideas, I drop it down and maybe, one month later, I pick it up again. Since the stage of my life or my thinking is always changing, I just need to think about it again and again. Every time you think about an issue, you have different opinion, you may think about it with a new perspective.
And a piece like the Video Vending Machine-A piece of sky, how long have you been working on it?
From the brainstorming to the actual realization, with all the researches, it took three months. But due to technical problems you need to be always involved in it. And as there were many programs, I needed to solve them one by one. There were some programs I hadn’t used before, I’d only had the basic information from school, and I had to learn by myself.
You told me before that you like to draw and to paint, yet you choose media art to express yourself through art, why is that?
Good question… I have been thinking in the previous months about it. Painting is a one way media: I show my painting to you and you may feel something: I just provide you a feeling. But interactive or new media art give a two way connection. You can provide ideas to me by your actions here… Just like if you buy a pixel, which one will you choose is a kind of interaction, you can make choices: this is interactive. I like you to response.
Why did you choose programming?
One of the reasons is that it is what the school teaches us. But there are a lot of interactive courses. I choose programming because it is a way to foster new media art and it is a way to frame our present. Also, technology offers a lot of possibilities.
To be continued on January 4th.
