Shakira Burton - photography and social mediaShakira is an innovator, a new fresh breezy mind to the Hong Kong photography scene. Her visuals and ideas are not only captivating but also challenge your point of view that you wouldn't expect to have. We spoke not only photography, videography, painting, vulnerability, LGBQTI+ Community in Hong Kong but also everything that happens backstage of her imaginative photoshoot planning. And. It was. Fascinating. Why photography? Wow that’s deep! Well I did study art in high school and it was focused on the normal visual art - painting, drawing. But my teacher knew that it wasn't what I wanted to do. For all our classes we basically had to use our primary sources and my teacher kinda knew before I did. We would have to take our own photos first and then we would have to paint them after. But my teacher knew that I had more fun with taking the photos, rather than the art. In all of the art classes I was positioning all my work and she saw my photos and that’s where she asked me - “Have you ever thought about making photography?”...and I was like “wait, I can do that, am I allowed to do that?”. So sometimes you don't realize that you have all of these options since everybody was doing the same thing - mostly painting but they never told us that we could do textiles, photography or videography until when my teacher brought it up. And I was the only one from my art class who did something different than the painting. Was it really hard to be outstanding in your class? Yeh! It’s hard to be different and also to be good at it at the same time. Because you never know what other people’s opinions about you are. Everyone has different opinions. But I did it and since then it sparked my interest to do it outside of the school so I created a photography account on Instagram. I got noticed by mutual friends and they slowly messaged me and asked me to do shoots with me. That was about 5 years ago and it has taken off pretty much since then. Honestly, social media has helped a lot and that's how I gained clients. I just really enjoy meeting new people and having conversations off camera to make sure that the subject in front of the camera feels comfortable. What about the people that you capture? It has always been about meeting new people and making new friends too. Because at the end of the day you're doing it obviously for the photos but behind the scenes this is where you get to know them a little bit more and understand their expectations. I really enjoy creating the connection between the model and me. Your main focus at the moment comes within your Instagram, right? As your main source of the channel? Because we can notice that most of your photos are fashion photos - but not as glamorous as everyone would expect them to be and there’s a specific angle the way you capture them… I lightly take inspiration from the magazine but mostly the things you do not see in fashion photography which is very basic.You know, like in a studio, with white walls and basic lighting - it’s not as creative as you would think. I really like fashion and always wanted to combine the two - collaborating with a stylist, makeup artist or hairstylist. It was always more about that, working in a team and collaborating rather than creating basic images for magazines. I don't take inspiration from what you would usually see in the media. I try to make it more relatable - the places I take a photo of are more from the streets. I enjoy walking around and finding somewhere I think it’s very cool. Because I love Hong Kong and looking for the hidden gems, the places people usually overlook. I get my inspiration a lot from Instagram probably. This is where I follow all of the inspirational photographers too. Looking for a new location all the time is good fun. You capture the diversity around you in the photos so well. I was wondering if since your background is half Malaysian, half English and you also lived in Thailand for a bit - do you think that this influences your photography as well? Hmmm…that’s hard. I’m born and raised here and my ethnicity is from all parts of the world. Hong Kong is still my home as I speak the language too. It's easy to connect with locals. I feel like I’m more comfortable here. And you usually also work with mostly, right? Yes, a lot of time. The shoots I do are mostly women who approach me as it's more comfortable to shoot with a female photographer rather than male. Usually there are a lot of stories, especially in America - male photographers who use their power on young models. I wanna be that person who makes people comfortable, no matter what gender you are. Do you think that your approachability is the future of creative and collective collaboration especially within Instagram? I say it’s a mix of both when I get a lot of messages from people who are interested in collaboration or either I resource and approach them when I need a team - hairstylists, makeup artists…there were some times when it was just makeup artists or hairstylist who wanted to work with me and I would reach out to find models. But I’m not limiting myself to only shooting with females - it just happened that way. There’s not as many male models in Hong Kong who are interested in modelling, same for fashion shows. I can imagine that maybe sometimes the vision of the photoshoot can clash. Was there ever a complicated client that you had? I never had that issue surprisingly. During the shoot I proactively communicate with the whole team and listen to all of the ideas so we can always try something new. We always talk about the vision and inspiration beforehand so we always agree before the actual photoshoot. So no issues so far, I’m very lucky. You also take pictures for yourself and as you go too - have you been thinking about hiring models by yourself purely for your own project? Hmm…not quite planning anything at the moment. But I do have ideas and photoshoots in mind that I’d like to do with specific people. But sometimes it happens that the model is not available or the shoot gets rescheduled. At the moment I'm not planning any personal shoots, but I still got people reaching out who want to shoot their fashion brands. But I have this one idea with a male model, but I’m trying to find the right male model because they will have to be acting a little bit. Can you share a bit more about that? It’s an idea that I had from this Netflix show called Young Royals. The vision is like “This is king” but not from word to word - but I just wanted to shoot the “prince” with many expensive clothes on him or him sitting on a throne but in reality he's very unhappy with his life as it was controlled by his family and the outside world. So I wanted to capture that, it’s kinda depressing, but wanted to show the other side of the wealth. If I understand it well, are you also playing around with cinematography or video editing as well? Maybe. Who knows. I used to do videography before photography - I just enjoyed editing videos. I wouldn't mind stepping into that but it’s a lot of work. I would love to though, I have a lot of friends who produce short films. Have you maybe considered making some merchandise, calendars or organising your own exhibition? Yes. I actually thought about this a lot! I was planning to release a book or organise an exhibition. So far, I have prints of my photos, two of them are from the series “Effeminate Boys of Hong Kong” and it’s basically about how males or anyone who is male presenting can dress feminine. The intention was to portray a spectrum. It doesn’t mean that if you're a male that you have to dress a certain way. I’ve been selling those prints so far, but there are so much more - I wanted to extend on the idea of male femininity and the fact how males can be vulnerable. So basically challenging toxic masculinity… Exactly. And also there is another one which is not as deep, but it's more of a winter models walking around Hong Kong in high fashion outfits. But I do want to have an exhibition or release a book. I actually did make a book of photos that I took on film but never had a chance to finish it. But it happens a lot of the time that I don't finish my projects. You have to! We’re here for it! Especially with the following you already have! I think it would make a fantastic impact, especially with your photos that raise awareness about LGBQTI+ community that you’re part of. Have you been thinking about capturing the struggles of the LGBQTI+ in Hong Kong in your photos as well? Absolutely. I actually did a Pride Month photoshoot. It was more of a positive experience - it wasn't related to Hong Kong but it was kind of the same thing as the Effeminate Boys of Hong Kong where I wanted to show the spectrum of how you dress, the clothes and different ethnicities. I brought all of my queer friends into this photoshoot to be part of this and I got a stylist who is also queer. I wanted to make sure that everyone steps out of their comfort zone too and made sure that the way they looked did not define their gender too. Can we have more of this?
Yes and it also got published in a magazine which was really cool! Oh yes! Tell me about your first time when your work got published! It wasn't even portrait photography, it was landscape. I took many pictures of Hong Kong on film - those were really local areas such as the seaside or wet market. This magazine reached out to me that was interested in using these photos in their issue. I have a physical magazine too which is crazy. I remember when I received it via mail as well and when I first held it. How did they find you? Through Instagram? Yes, exactly. And it was selling in physical stores in New York as well and I wasn't there so I couldn't see it but I just saw. I already had about 4 or 5 magazines who reached out. Were they all local or international? International. But a lot of the time it's you submitting to them. Not all of them will reach out to you. It’s a lot of work, you need to draft a description of the project and you introduce the team too and this is how they decide if they’re going to print your photos or not and send you a free copy of the magazine. Oh okay! And moving forward, when it comes to pandemic, Covid and mental health awareness - is there anything you might take as an inspiration? Honestly, it was actually the opposite. I’ve lost all of the motivation, I was scared of my safety - on the photoshoot set there's actually quite a lot of people and it pushed me away to do the shoots for a while. I wasn't scared only for myself but for my family too. So in 2020 I didn't make that many shoots, but I've been going back and forth in 2021. But havent been thinking about creating a photoshoot that focuses on pandemic as it's still something that I'm scared of, it's very sensitive. I did paint through covid though - when I was sad I painted (laughs). It was a nice therapeutic way to deal with my emotions. What about photography, would you find that therapeutic? Yes it’s very meditative, you are captured in one moment, you don't lose your focus. It’s just you, the subject and the conversations you have. I wouldn't think about anything else. Is there any new skill or experience that you would like to apply to your photography? Last year thanks to working at The Hive and having access to the studios, I started doing more studio photography. I thought that it was boring, as you don't get to move the subject anywhere, but there's a lot of fun with lightning. I want to push myself further with that as I usually shoot stuff outside. What would you suggest to people who want to learn and start with photography? Look at what people are doing today and find inspiration through other people’s images. For me when I lose inspiration I follow a bunch of people that I really like, scroll through their content and see what they’re doing, then I think to myself “oh I want to do that, I want to try that”. Follow Shakira on her Instagram: @shakira.kb Shakira’s Portfolio: shakiraburtonbusin.wixsite.com/portfolio
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RSK Design & PhotographyRinske is a charming lady who cannot sit still. Hong Kong is very lucky to witness her package of creativity - starting from full time focus on interior design, continuing to captivating not only black and white photography, crafting leather bags on planes to melting silver and shaping a new wave of unique jewellery. We sat down in Rinske’s office based in Quarry Bay and talked about her creative journey, the love for not being able to sit still and the dedication to her various crafts. You lived in Hong Kong for a while now, right? Yes, for 11 years now. It’s very different from before I came here. What was your intention or expectation before you moved to Hong Kong? Well, I had none. The expectation was more of a vision of a classic Hong Kong story. I came here with my ex boyfriend and we were supposed to stay here only for a year and all of a sudden it grew into eleven years. But we split during then - he moved on, found a new partner, he lives in Bangkok now and I clearly stayed here. I got myself a very very nice partner now as well. Big change between then and now? There were hardly any coffee shops and (Western) bakeries. Well, you know what it’s like now! So you moved originally from Holland? Yes I actually never even worked in Holland, Hong Kong was my first work experience. Have you been doing your jewellery before you moved to Hong Kong? No at all, I’m a linguist French and I studied European studies along with Spanish. I always wanted to make jewellery though. 8 years ago I started making leather bags and later turned it to a social enterprise in which I wanted to give women of HK a chance to come together, learn a new craft and earn a salary. The bags I sold in HK. My then day job got in the way as I travelled 70% of my time through Asia. I had to put that on the backburner, but the wish to do this again is very much still alive. During my previous employment I always brought my camera and further developed my photography skills. A few months ago, I decided it was time to give the jewelry a try, since we can’t travel anywhere. How do you resource the leather for your bags? So the leather I buy in Sham Shui Po. It’s super cool and very local. They have everything there that you need on the creative side of things. And it’s awesome for photography as well. It has a lot of history there. Has this always been more of a hobby? Have you may be considered having all of these interests as a full time job? I don't know. Perhaps. Photography for sure as I’ve been doing it professionally for longer. But Hong Kong is very expensive, so I don’t dare quitting a stable income quite yet. That’s a shame because when I have a look for example at your jewellery, it is so unique and different that it would be 100% worth considering. It’s very decadent! How do you bring your inspiration into the jewellery? It developed from very simple craft into making it a bit more intricate. About a week ago I wanted to start melting silver. I wanted to see what would happen and if I could do it. I loved the result! keep teaching myself about everything, really ; soldering, polishing, melting etc. And I love the fact that it may be seen as a modern art - the shapes of the jewellery are free to interpret for each individual. I’ve noticed your work thanks to jewellery - but the creative process as itself started way beforehand… Yes, so at the moment I run a furniture business. This is what I do on an 80 hour week basis, however, my hands are never not moving. I’m always either making something out of leather, jewellery, or I’m busy with photography. Even during my previous job when I travelled a lot, I always took a leather bag in the making and my camera with me. I also may have bought a 45 kilo bag with cement and I’m so excited about what I can create out of this. You asked me about inspiration, I’m not sure where it comes from. But sometimes I tell my partner, I need to make something, NOW! My next project is ‘sand casting’, with which you can ‘copy’ shapes if you will. I’m so excited for the result! How long do you think it’s going to take? Me too, I’m getting my supplies this week. I’ve read that to some people it goes really well or horribly wrong. So we’ll see! I love the fact that you’re also not trying to create art to necessarily target people; I feel like your work is going to attract the right kind of people. Oh yes absolutely, although it definitely would be cool to eventually sell, however, it’s not my priority at the moment. I just really love making and creating things. It’s very therapeutic! It’s also very interesting to see what people like and what they would pick for them to wear, to hang or just purely have in their home. Absolutely! So, it’s furniture, photography, leather bags and jewellery making. What a unique package! (takes her phone and shows me photos). Well you know I’ve always been taken by life a lot. These are the bags (shows me her Instagram profile for leather bags and fashion). I always want to do and make stuff - I guess I’m a lot like my mum - never sits still. What a variety! For example, these pictures were taken in Miami at the Wynwood Walls. These ballerinas were taking selfies in front of a beuatifully painted wall. They saw me with my camera and asked if I would take photos of them. So I helped them out with taking their photos but also asked them if they wouldn't mind posing with one of my leather bags. Quid Pro Quo. Back to your jewellery you had a chance to have a stand on Lamma Island? A friend on lamma organised a pre-Christmas market whilst supporting a charity, ‘Living Lamma’. I had a ton of bags still (from the Social Enterprise project) and I made a lot of silver Christmas trees. It was a really lovely and successful experience! How long does it take to make one bag? It depends on the size. This one (shows me a photo of a leather bag) took me about 12 hours, I made it on a flight from Hong Kong to the Netherlands. The smallest one would take about an hour? Oh wow I really would love to sit next to you as a passenger and see how you make the leather bag! (laughs) Quite a lot of people were intrigued, even the flight attendants! I’d love to eventually do some workshops as well. It would be brilliant if we would be able to organize something through Creative Womxn! So, if we go back to photography - you’ve done photography before you moved to Hong Kong? Yeah, I always have loved photography. When I was young, we (my parents and brother) would travel to a new European country every summer. My parents always encouraged us to make a travel diary out of these journeys. We would get a notebook, a throw away camera, some games and info about the country. Looking back at the results, my brother (now laywer) always had tons of text. I usually had very little text, and lots of photos. Since I started travelling on my own I bought a small digital camera to be as practical as possible. I could always carry it with me. I was always on the road and always going places so I didn’t really want anything heavy to carry. Then, one day it broke, and I thought it was time to get a big one and got the “real deal”. I got my first exhibition last year actually. It was a proper solo show organized by a international gallery. I had photos published before but this was my first physical show. Very exciting but scary at the same time. I took these photos for whomever wants to see them, but it can still become very personal. And vulnerable at the same time, right? Yeh, I guess so. I’m usually fairly okay with people disliking me or disliking stuff but when you put your own works out there in the world, the negative feedback can kind of sucks, right? But thankfully everyone said they really liked it (laughs). Most of your photos are black and white. Is there any particular reason or idea behind this aesthetic? I think it’s easy to like photos in colour, which is absolutely perfect and I think they're absolutely stunning. But I think when it comes to black and white, the object must be really nice. Ohh - how would You define “nice”? Well that’s individual, isn't it. But if you look at the photos it challenges your ability to imagine. This one particularly (points on the large print in her office of a white tall building captured on the ray of sunlight from a dark Hong Kong urban street) challenges you and lets you appreciate the light much more. There can be many ways of seeing this. For example another photo of mine (shows a picture of a baby girl on her Instagram account) - if it was in colour, this would take away the whole attention from the the picture. By eliminating colour, the audience does not get distracted but focusses on what is actually happening in the picture. And it feels like you captured the emotion without distractions… Could be. I would never put any opinions of mine on someone. I like how it's appealing to people in their own way. For instance – I chose linguistics over literature as I would find it really hard to interpret and work with people who would say “but oh this author wrote this and meant that” - I would say “but who knows, it depends how you interpret it”. I leave it up to people. People always have their own stories in their perceptions. Your main inspiration is obviously travel and whatever captures your eye? I look differently at things around me when I have my camera. When people usually walk on the streets they're on their phones and they don't necessarily look around what's happening around them. But when you actually look for things that are interesting, there is so much to offer. I am inspired by what I see or what is happening around me. If you would put many photographers next to each other to focus on one thing, everyone’s capture is going to be completely different, and their focus will be on something else. I love that. Would you think that you follow your intuition and act upon your impulses? Yes - but only when it comes to art, probably not in regular life (laughs). Hong Kong was pretty much shut within borders for about 2 years now. Have you had a chance to perceive Hong Kong differently during this time - especially through your photography?
Yes, but I wouldn't say it's all positive. We are lucky that we have been shielded from the horrors in Europe. But I wish there was more flexibility to travel again. The restrictions are tricky for the furniture business and I miss my family. They haven't even met my partner yet. I really would love to be able to come back and give my friends and family at home a big hug, I haven't seen them for about 3 years. What would you think was the most frustrating thing about it? It’s tricky, business suffer, communities change as people are leaving. You really have to adapt. Don't get me wrong, at the beginning I enjoyed being at home and being with Lucy and our dogs. But together we want to go out, travel and do stuff. I wanted to ask you about the future and the inspiration in your next work…what are your plans? Are you planning your next exhibition? Yes, I would hope so. The gallery that organized my show is amazing, but they specialise in other areas, not in photography. I hope to find another photography gallery who would be interested in my work! But it’s challenging, so many people have cameras now and the pictures on social media are exceptional. But not everyone has your perception and your eyes the way you see the world. Yes, that’s true. So I would love to go back to Holland eventually and bring my camera too. If nothing changes. But it’s all up in the air but in Hong Kong there are so many chances and opportunities which make me very hopeful. It’s all about networking and new relationships here. Follow Rinske on her Instagram Pages: Jewellery: @rsk_design_hk Photography: @rsk_hk_moments Website:https://www.rskmoments.com/hong-kong 1/20/2022 Kimonos, Japanese aesthetics, escape from Laos and much more - Interview with Kim HelgasonRead NowKim Helgason: PainterKim is an extraordinary creative Filipino and Vietnamese artist who currently lives in Hong Kong. Her paintings of figures smoothly develop a sensual idea about Japanese culture, aesthetics and softness. During the fifth wave of Omicron spread, we had a chance to meet and have a wonderful chat on the riverside in Central of Hong Kong City. We spoke about her incredibly adventurous past and the challenges that women as artists need to face today in Hong Kong. Thank you so much for meeting me today. I’ve got a beautiful gift from Kim, a handmade card with a lucky Chinese cat that symbolises good fortune. Where did the idea come from? “It originally started in Japan and then it got really famous around Hong Kong and also China. This is a white coloured cat that means purity, prosperity. But if you would get other colours they might have different meanings.” That’s so kind, thank you! As a full time artist who lives in Hong Kong, what is your main source of inspiration coming from? “When I was a kid I was always fascinated with Japanese culture. I also loved the Japanese symbolism for various animals - especially those that were on kimonos. And also the symbolism of the colours too - if you would wear a red kimono that means strength and youth, that was usually worn by young and teenage girls. And the older women who were married would wear dark green or blue kimonos with different designs.” You are also half Filipino and half Vietnamese. Is there also an element of inspiration that comes to you through these two cultures as well? ”I think maybe more of the Vietnamese culture, because my mum is Vietnamese - as I spent more time with her. And my dad wasn't always around. My brother and I became closer to Vietnamese culture. My mum always cooked Vietnamese food and had vietnamese books around.” How did you make your way to Hong Kong? “That’s quite a story (laughs). So just before I was born in Laos, my mum’s parents in Vietnam had to escape because of the Japanese war. So they escaped to the Philippines to Laos - that’s why I was born there. And my dad was originally from the Philippines - but he also worked and played in a musical band in Vietnam. He and the band were playing for the American soldiers in Vietnam beforehand in about the late 60’s. After American soldiers were gone, he moved to Laos - that’s where he met my mum. And after, we had to leave Laos as the Communists were coming in the late 70’s. My mum didn’t have any passport or any travel documents so my dad helped her to get her a Phillipino passport, so he reached out to the embassy and they gave us a big favour. My mum is not a Filipino but they gave her citizenship right away. Then we got to Thailand and from Thailand to Hong Kong.” Wow what a story! How incredible. Because I believe so far what I saw it’s the history that shapes your artwork as well. Especially the figures that you are very well recognized for as well. “I had so many Japanese classmates at school. I remember the first time when I saw sushi I thought to myself how stupid it looked (laughs). But then I tried it and found it super interesting. At that time I had very close Japanese friends - they have always been so smart at school. Japanese are the smartest! It was me and my friend who were planning to go to Japan. We planned that we should have saved our money, go to work and then go to Japan. It was such a teenage dream, we’ve never gone. We never finalized on the idea to go to Japan and then what (laughs). What would we do there? No idea. But then I went later on with my family.” So how did you find Japan after you went? Did it meet all of your expectations? “It was fascinating. Especially the technology and the infrastructure that they have in Tokyo. Then we went to Osaka which is still not as modern as Tokyo, but more traditional, but very beautiful. I found out that the people there are so polite - sometimes too polite. For example when you take steps to the underground or get a train, everyone is very quiet. I was telling my husband - you know the railings that we have in Hong Kong, they used to be so high, people still jump over them. And in Japan the railings are so low but none jumps over them anyway. They are very obedient and structured people. Maybe Hong Kong people can learn a little bit from them too. But at the end of the day I find Hongkongers very funny, I like them just the way they are.” There is something every single day that shows or proves that Hong Kongers are absolutely incredible people. “Yeah, they are not too strict. I think Japanese are very strict, when I went to visit them, I found Hongkongers more relaxed. But right now I am also very fascinated by Chinese culture. It’s because of my experience after finding out how strict Japan is, the Chinese culture is very rich in fashion, food and history.” When it comes to women in Hong Kong, do you think that they have the freedom to express themselves? “Yes I think they have more freedom now then before in my opinion. In the past when I was younger you could always hear that the wife got beat up - especially if she would ask for a divorce. And the husband sometimes had two girlfriends on the side and didn’t care about the family either. But now I feel like it's changing. Now women have more opportunity to work - more than before. In the 60’s or 70’s it was very traditional, then it got better in the 90's.” Do you think you are being recognized as an artist enough? “In here, not very much. When I joined some of the Filipino art schools before I was the only woman. The school was regularly sending some information about us to the galleries for them to check the name and the art. And I got picked by one of the galleries together with my friend. I was so happy. But then later on they thought that I was a man as my official name is Charito. And I went to the gallery and they asked who I was. They were really nicely surprised. As they also had other female artists that the gallery represented. But unfortunately the gallery owner passed away and the gallery shut down. It was the Asia Fine Arts Gallery.” Have you had a chance to exhibit with any other galleries?
“Not yet. I was always moving. Went to Thailand, then to Canada for 6 years and came back again to Hong Kong.” How was life in Canada as an artist? “Oh yeah! We moved to a small town. When I had my exhibition there, everyone was very excited to see my work. I got a lot of exhibitions done and my work was selling very well, I didn't even need any gallery to help me sell my work. We always went to this pub where the owner really liked my art and told me to hang it in the pub. But none bought it and I got no commission. But we could always eat there which was very good. I really liked their homemade french fries.” So after Canada when you came back to Hong Kong what happened? “I went back in 2018 and then went to see my dad straight after in the Philippines for a year. We stayed on the island where my dad lived. We built a beach house there. And in 2019 we came back to Hong Kong. My husband came back to work and then the crazy protest happened. That one year was literally killing the economy. And then after the protest, Covid came in 2020. Oh my gosh. I was looking at galleries but they closed down. Most of them. However, have you heard of the French Club?” No, unfortunately I haven't. “I used to have an exhibition there once in 2007 with my other girlfriend and I was so pleased to hear about them again that they are actually calling for artists.” Amazing! Are you going to apply? “All of my paintings are actually still in the beach house where my dad lived so I don’t have any new ones yet. I will have to try and start making new ones soon. They’re trying to rewrite the art scene in Hong Kong I think.” After the protests and the pandemic, is it hard to get back in touch with Hong Kong galleries in general? “I think so. At least for me. It’s very hard to get into galleries here in Hong Kong. My other artist friends tried to get in as well. The group I used to join, would collectively try to apply and seek out new opportunities. The Hong Kong government would usually sponsor that art group or the event - the government would help to get you the funds and the space too. We used to exhibit in Tsim Tsa Tsui and The Hong Kong art gallery as well.” Sounds like an excellent opportunity. Hopefully the art scene in Hong Kong will pick it up again after the pandemics is over. “Yes, we need at least 8 different artists and get the events going.” Absolutely! Hopefully Creative Womxn in Hong Kong will create the opportunity to make this happen! “I just remembered (laughs). This one funny incident that happened to me when we were exhibiting in the Mid-Levels. And the owner at the gallery asked if I finished my painting. And I said “Yeye it’s ready, but it’s an oil painting and it takes a long time to dry. I already took it to the exhibition at the gallery but the painting was still wet and I even put out the sign in the gallery “please don’t touch”. It was a very bright shiny red colour on the artwork. And people never read the sign, they would come so close and they would have bright red marks on their sleeves and clothes. And the gallery owner would start laughing: “Kim oh my gosh you are victimizing our gallery visitors!” (laughs). As they have never seen an artist bring wet paint to the gallery.” To come back to the present moment - where do you take your biggest inspiration from right now? “I’m very big on spirituality at the moment, like the principles of opening your third eye. I am very interested in that as so many books that I read said that once you open your third eye you become more sensitive and aware of what's happening around you. You can see a lot of things. I also observe the fact of competition between women and the comparison. Why would you even do that? You would lose your uniqueness!” I feel like women compete with themselves because of expectations from society…What do you think that Hong Kong holds for female artists? “There is so much room for a lot of potential - for women to be able to emerge in the art scene. Sometimes even if they can't draw or paint, they always have some kind of ideas. Everytime I see some kinds of paintings , they never need to be perfect. It’s always about the inspiration and how it makes you feel. It helps a lot. Only women can express themselves like that.” Follow Kim’s Instagram on: @kim_helgason_art To check Kim’s Gift Cards follow: @charitocards Follow Creative Womxn in Hong Kong on Facebook and Instagram: @creativewomxninhongkong |
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AuthorAlex Edwards is a founder of Creative Womxn in Hong Kong who has media and journalism background but also experience in art community development and social media management. Archives
November 2022
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