Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog.
I would like to introduce the artist that i have selected- Stella So. As a Hong Kong comic(Manhua) lover, Stella So is one of my favorite artists.I started to buy and read her books since high school. Reading Hong Kong comics was the best way to relax before the AL exam.....
Her artwork:
City of Powder — the disappearing Hong Kong 粉末都市---消失中的香港(6/2008)
City of Powder — the disappearing Hong Kong 粉末都市---消失中的香港(6/2008)
Very Fantastic 好鬼棧 (2007)
Who is the artist?
Stella So, a Hong Kong nativea, graduated from Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design with a BA (Hons).Her graduation project "very fantastic" won a gold medal at the 2002 Hong Kong Independent Short Film & Video Award (IFVA). She was described as one of a new generation of born and bred Hong Kong cartoonists. The ideas of memory and a mercurial Hong Kong are addressed in her illustration work. So keeps capturing and recording as she is fascinated by the sensory environment of the city.
蘇敏怡就讀於香港理工大學設計學院期間，已製作一齣創意非凡的動畫短片《好鬼棧》。這是一齣有關香港本地文化及保留本地傳統的動畫，當中獨特的動畫及畫風 令蘇敏怡贏得不少本地及國際獎項，包括2003年香港獨立短片及錄像比像金獎、柏林Interfilm 2003及杜林的VideoEvento D’arte2003。她的最新作品是黃耀明歌曲《下落不明》的動畫音樂錄影帶。
蘇敏怡就讀於香港理工大學設計學院期間，已製作一齣創意非凡的動畫短片《好鬼棧》。這是一齣有關香港本地文化及保留本地傳統的動畫，當中獨特的動畫及畫風 令蘇敏怡贏得不少本地及國際獎項，包括2003年香港獨立短片及錄像比像金獎、柏林Interfilm 2003及杜林的VideoEvento D’arte2003。她的最新作品是黃耀明歌曲《下落不明》的動畫音樂錄影帶。
addresses
the ideas of memory and a mercurial Hong Kong through - See more at:
http://hk.asia-city.com/events/article/hong-kong-artist-stella-so#sthash.OZYTeWOy.dpuf
What is the form, media, materials used of the artwork?
I would like to review one of her books called "City of Powder — the disappearing Hong Kong" which is one of my favorite books. One of the features of her artwork is drawing on a grid design(Chinese 9-square calligraphy paper) which is typical of practice books for writing Chinese characters. It is very creative. It can raise readers' memories of Old Hong Kong as I believe most of the people had used practice books in primary school.
Also, So likes combining texts and graphs together, you can see a story inside each artwork. The storytelling artwork can share a common culture or collective memory
of local citizens.
I draw
them in my illustrations to collect them and in hopes that I can
reconstruct the city in my mind. - See more at:
http://hk.asia-city.com/events/article/hong-kong-artist-stella-so#sthash.OZYTeWOy.dpuf
I draw
them in my illustrations to collect them and in hopes that I can
reconstruct the city in my mind. - See more at:
http://hk.asia-city.com/events/article/hong-kong-artist-stella-so#sthash.OZYTeWOy.dpuf
The artwork shares the elements of semi-realism. It is not simply drawing old Chinese tenements like a sketch. She collects and reconstructs the city in her mind. Some exaggerated angles, such as using fish-eye that formed the objects into different shapes,are common in her work, emphasis her ideas.
Please visit her website and blog if you are interested!!
Website: http://www.smstella.com/
Blog: http://stellaso.blogspot.hk/
References:
What is the artwork about?
The artwork is about expressing the ideas of memory and a mercurial Hong Kong. As Hong Kong has many visual elements along its streets, especially elements of the older culture, So is afraid that these elements will be faded away in the future under the rapid development. So’s book is not only a record of faded
electronics, old furniture, and tiles but also a collection of
chromatic reminiscences.
What is the cultural and social background of the artwork?
She captured the disappearing Hong
Kong culture and collective memory of our times. She sees the
work as solace for her disappointment
with the epoch, using a range of mediums including illustration, comics and
animation to express her experiences of living in Hong Kong. Also, to illustrate her concerns about the rapid modernization of the city and
the loss of its historical architectural landscape.Please visit her website and blog if you are interested!!
Website: http://www.smstella.com/
Blog: http://stellaso.blogspot.hk/
References:
- http://hoodedutilitarian.com/2011/03/two-comics-by-stella-so/
- http://hk.asia-city.com/events/article/hong-kong-artist-stella-so
- http://www.hkac.org.hk/30th/chi/bio.html
- http://www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/cinematheque/current/apt7_cinema/mountains_and_waters_chinese_animation_since_the_1930s/hong_kong_contemporary_animation
elements will fade away
addresses
the ideas of memory and a mercurial Hong Kong through her illustrations
and animation work. - See more at:
http://hk.asia-city.com/events/article/hong-kong-artist-stella-so#sthash.OZYTeWOy.dpuf
addresses
the ideas of memory and a mercurial Hong Kong through her illustrations
and animation work. - See more at:
http://hk.asia-city.com/events/article/hong-kong-artist-stella-so#sthash.OZYTeWOy.dpuf
Hello, this is GUO Junyao, Tiffany, from GE1110.
回覆刪除I Love this artist! She is so amazing that she shows such a fantastic artwork for us. I really appreciate that she puts Hong Kong culture in her work to preserve this special memories. She keeps capturing and recording as she is fascinated by the sensory environment of the city. I like the way she tells stories by combining the texts and graphs, which arouses local people’s memories forthrightly. I agree with you that the artwork shares the elements of semi-realism. She painted from exaggerated angles that made the figures more fun and stand out. It’s cool to keep these original Hong Kong elements in her artworks, and the chromatic reminiscences will never fade away.
Hello, I'm Shukiu from the same class too.
回覆刪除I adore this artist too!! Her artwork is so interesting and resonant. I really love her stylish cartoon works. All of them are just so attracted to the new generation like us. While featuring some of the meaning memories of the landscape and community environment of the city, her artworks indeed serve as numbers of stories embracing the genuine culture of Hong Kong. I am especially attracted to her piece named Stella's Own City, in which she created an unique structure with a tree house on the balcony with every portion of spaces highlighting her favourite local alleys, shops,attics, some of them I even haven't heard of before. Not only showing her beloved architectures, but also arising local collective memories which her notion I do admire indeed. The fancy and touching way that she voices out her reluctance and detainment of the disappearing city's treasures through an integration of her paintings and own texts is adorable. I share the same view that her artwork is semi-realistic too. I like the way that she use fish-eye visual effect to spotlight the feature of her artworks that makes the messages even stand out.
In addition, it would be lovely to know where did her first inspiration of these artworks come from.
{Words: 217} {Chan Shu Kiu Adrianne SID: 53087354}
Hello, I am Agnes from GE110. I love Stella So. I love illustrator very much! Her artwork talks about the local culture of Hong Kong. How to keep the traditional of Hong Kong come to public attention. Her artwork can arouse the memory of Hong Kong people. She describes the architecture, traditional festival and the lifestyle of Hong Kong People. Her artwork is colorful and dramatic. Like ”Bus no.40” describes the landscape that she can see when she takes bus no. 40. That is full of Stella’s personality. Also, she uses some special angle, such as fish eye to present her ideas and create a different feeling of her artwork.
回覆刪除{110} {WONG SHUK KWAN 52206294}
Hello~
回覆刪除It seems that I have seen some of her works in books.
Her paintings are just like comics. I like it. She illustrates and records down many HK cultures and old buildings, like Mei Wa House, in sharp colours and shapes. After all the removal s and developments, most of those local cultures have already lost, as well as the buildings. Maybe we can memorize them in arts. Even if I am not very familiar with them, I can still see how they are important to Stella, and other Hongkongers.
How do you feel about the old cultures? Maybe you can focus on it on your research and presentation. It’s just a suggestion and I am looking forward to your further findings.
Lammei:)