Naomi Chan at work while on a residency in Finland
Photo courtesy of the artist
Damaris Athene: Could you start off by telling me a bit about yourself?
Naomi Chan: Yeah, I was born and raised in Hong Kong and I came to Norway to pursue my second master program. The first master I did was about yoga and natural therapy. My bachelor study was about art and computing, new media art. I came from a very digital and technical background. I also work on digital photography and filmmaking, programming, coding, and interactive things like face detection and motion tracking. But I don't really enjoy working on technical things because it requires a lot of brain activity. I have to keep thinking about how to solve the problem. With coding it’s all one's and zero’s, and it either works or it doesn’t. I’m interested in the action and reaction of these technologies and not working on how to make that happen. So I needed to find a new way to make work and I wanted to get back to more traditional art skills. I cannot enjoy the creative process by just coordinating and making things happen. Before I went to Norway, I spent one year in Taiwan focusing on wood engraving, tea ceremonies, meditation, and sand patterns. I also worked on Chinese painting. Man, it makes my creative process more enjoyable, I could feel that it’s somehow meditative. I can let my brain rest. When people come to the interactive work is just, ‘Oh, it works’. They input the signal and the signal outputs. I think it’s more interesting to see the interactivity with traditional art, like with painting we look at it and we feel the connection between the artist, the mind, the scenario, the colour combination and the intention. I find this kind of interaction is more rich. The connection is in more in depth.
in.carnation, 2021, Installation displayed in Trondheim, found Tear gas canister from Hong Kong protest in 2019, pink-rose carnation
Photo courtesy of the artist
DA: I know what you mean, with technology and interactive art you're getting instant gratification as a viewer and you don't have to engage on a deeper level if you don't want to.
NC: If you’re from a coding background you’ll judge the work in a different way. If it's just one click and something happens, it’s not skilful at all. It's too simple. The reason why I placed myself in Norway is that I was really impressed by one of the first artist residencies I did in 2016 in Finland. This changed my life. The location was really impressive. I had never stayed in somewhere in the middle of nowhere before because I born and raised in a small space with 7.5 million people, actually more than the entirety of Norway, in 1,000 kilometres squared! I went to a silence space and at night I couldn't hear anything. I could hear the reverb in my ear. I was so shocked and I really enjoyed it, but at the same time it was the protest time in Hong Kong and I felt really disconnected to my hometown. It was an unforgettable and weird experience. I had never placed myself somewhere to completely focus on my art. So I went to Norway to pursue my master's program. In Hong Kong is so difficult to have an art career because the rent is crazy and it’s difficult to find a balance. In Norway I could get closer to nature and get into a totally different atmosphere. My practice in Norway was initially about nature, but it changed. In 2016 it was the Umbrella Movement, and in 2019 it was the Water Revolution, now we’ve lost the spotlight from the media because of the Corona virus. My work was mainly about the protests and politics during my masters because my mind was full of this at that time. I didn't realise that the Hong Kong identity affected me that much but moving to a different country changed that. You’re always asked how it is growing up in Hong Kong. Sometimes I get asked about a topic I’m not familiar with and I have to go and research into it so I can explain more next time. It’s made my work have a stronger link to politics.
Get In Touch, 2020, Interactive Installation displayed in Trondheim, Tibetan singing bowls, electronics clips and wires
Video courtesy of the artist
DA: That's really interesting. What form does your practice take? What materials do you work with?
NC: I mainly do installation with materials that can be found in daily life.
DA: Could you speak a bit more about your piece ‘Get in Touch’?
NC: That is a piece about connection. Is an interactive work. Covid discourages touch and interaction among people. While physical touch was what we familiarised with, yet it becomes strange at this moment. The method of this piece is kind of simple, electricity goes through the conductive materials, they become one; when we touch and connect them, it triggers the pr-recorded meditative sound. I would love to take this piece to encourage people to explore inwards.
DA: How have your studies in yoga and naturopathy fed into your practice?
NC: I think it changed my perception and perspective. I grew up in a city with a very competitive mindset where everything has to be very efficient. Yoga and naturopathy made me understand more and made me slow down. Naturopathy is about how to see the world by observation and to see the interconnection of everything. I think observation is the key to all knowledge.
DA: How do you usually work and how has that been affected by the pandemic?
NC: I think it actually gave me more ideas about the work because I had to look the into the interaction of humans. The pandemic brought about new ways to connect with each other, like what we’re doing right now on Zoom. I made use of the time to make an exhibition, and we could connect to people in different parts of the world. I had two exhibitions in Germany, and one in Oslo. For me the quarantine or being alone is not the most difficult part for me. I had to focus more on digital platforms, and I pushed myself to consider digital marketing more and make better documentation.
Reflected 31 times, and then?, 2019-20, Installation displayed in Trondheim, 3D printed PLA sculptures, 20cm (H), 100cm (W), 100cm (L)
Photo courtesy of the artist
DA: It's great that you were able to adapt to that and embrace it. What would you like people to get from your work?
NC: I would love to make a conversation. I think an artwork should speak for itself. I’m interested in peoples’ own interpretations. I want to have the interaction between the audience and the artist.
DA: Whose work inspires you?
NC: I really like the work of On Kawara. He was a Japanese painter and he used to paint the date every day. It's very simple, but it's about a performative thing. The idea is very interesting. It's about the present moment.
DA: Does anyone else come to mind?
NC: I like work that requires a lot of time and includes repetition. Another work I like is 'The Book From the Sky' by Xu Bing. He took four years to make it. It’s made up of four books that contain invented Chinese characters, so it’s not readable. I think it’s very interesting when you work on something that looks very familiar but, at the same time, you cannot understand it.
DA: Do you find a similar durational element in the work that you make as well?
NC: Yeah. I found my way by them making art in this direction.
The making of Reflected 31 times, and then?, 2019-20, Installation displayed in Trondheim, 3D printed PLA sculptures, 20cm (H), 100cm (W), 100cm (L)
Video courtesy of the artist
DA: What has been your most memorable experience with art?
NC: Recently, I had an art exhibition in Norway. It was my first time selling art as I was working with interactive media art which is difficult to sell. Someone wanted to buy an art piece because it was their birthday. It’s very different in Hong Kong, because this is not a normal thing people would do. Art is a luxury thing in Hong Kong. Only rich people buy art, the level is different. But in Norway normal people buy paintings to decorate their homes.
DA: That’s an interesting difference. Congratulations on selling something! What projects have you been working on recently?
NC: I just moved back to Hong Kong, actually, I may stay here for six months or longer. I want to continue to learn more traditional skills, Hong Kong things. I will continue to learn porcelain painting. In the old days, Hong Kong was popular for ceramics, the typical white and blue painted porcelain. Last time I was here I met our master. He retired and has started to get back to the field to teach young people how to paint porcelain. I followed him for two months and he really liked me so he wants me to continue to learn from him. If I don't learn these skills they will fade out when my master get older and older. And right now I have a couple exhibitions still cooking. We want to make our exhibition in Hong Kong and get some painting from Norway and Sweden, to invite people. The idea is about ‘How do you place yourself as a stranger to this place?’.
DA: What plans do you have for future work?
NC: I will continue to work on the handcraft things instead of the multimedia work, but I'm also trying not to refuse or reject to my skill set. I need to find the balance and make it enjoyable. I want to merge things in my future work.
DA: I look forward to seeing what you make and hope that you're able to find that balance. Thanks so much Naomi.
NC: Thank you Damaris.
