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Intimate Portrait
Intimate PortraitLam Kin-choi
J: When did you discover your interest in drawing?
L: I have been keen on drawing for as long as I can remember. While I had put it aside during my university years, I rediscovered my passion after l I started working. Every time I took a break from drawing to explore other mediums, I found more room to express myself.
J: Why picture book? Its importance lies in…
L: I used to visit bookstores whenever I travelled abroad, and happened to notice that picture books from different places often relate to their respective local environments. For example, picture books in Germany revolve around forests and snowfields, while themes like rice dishes can be found in Japanese picture books. However, there are very few picture books from Hong Kong about the city and its local culture. This inspired me to create related picture books. Later on, I noticed that the “Awards for Creative Writing in Chinese” organised by the Hong Kong Public Libraries include “Children’s Picture Stories” category, with award-winning works to be exhibited at different libraries. Thus, my partner and I set our sights on this and created our first picture book.
My initial intention for picture book is to share things around us with the future generation. Little Big Tram, for example, captures trams and let children learn about them – my previous studio was located at Foo Tak Building in Wan Chai, where trams passed by daily. Unexpectedly, it becomes teaching material for kindergartens, and many parents shared about how it brought them closer to their children. This made me realise that picture books can connect kids and adults, bringing them on adventures together.
J: Can you share your insight or experiences from studying Children’s Book Illustration in the UK?
Picture book | 2020
L: It was a dream came true for me to study at a traditional arts institute in the UK. The two years of intensive training allowed me to redevelop my drawing. I learned to draw without reference, and tell stories through a series of pictures. In addition, I tried my hand at printmaking during my study, and had ample opportunities to exchange with people on printmaking while there.
Picture book | 2020
J: What makes printmaking unique?
L: Printmaking is considered a craft with less room for changes when compared to digital drawing. Traditional printing knowledge and techniques in printmaking have helped me understand more about composition, layering and application of colours, all of which come in handy when producing picture books. Drawing is an art of addition while printmaking is one of subtraction. I am partial to the elements of unknown and exploration during the creative process of printmaking.
My printmaking works are mainly monotypes, in which print is made by painting on a plastic sheet with oil paint. It is unique in that only one single print can be made. And by wiping away the paint, a negative space with a unique sense of texture can be formed. Besides, I also work on drypoint and screen printing.
J: Can you share your process and thoughts on making Dreaming?
Monotype, digital collage | 2019
L: I was studying in the UK in the summer of 2019, and could only follow the developments in Hong Kong through live webcasts. The unsettling images remained in my mind, and I was often in a state of insomnia and anxiety. I decided one day to put these images down on paper. Subsequently, I selected several sketches for printmaking and created digital collages, which were then turned into the work Dreaming. The prints fade after repeated printing, just like memories; this served to me as much a record as it was an emotional outlet.
Monotype, digital collage | 2019
J: How did you feel when your work was selected for Illustrator Exhibition of Bologna Children’s Book Fair?
L: It has always been my goal to participate in the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Not only is it the most significant accomplishment for children’s book, the Fair is also the largest of its kind, attended by many outstanding illustrators and publishers from around the world. I came across its touring exhibition when I visited Ishikawa Nanao Art Museum in Japan in 2016, and realised that not a single work from Hong Kong had been selected before. Therefore, I was very touched when I learned that Dreaming was selected. The work represents Hongkongers and the incidents that happened in 2019. I am glad that this can be seen by people all around the world.
J: What are the inspirations behind Journey to Mars?
L: The story is in fact unrelated to the current wave of emigration. It tells the long space journey of a dog and turtle trying to escape from the polluted planet earth. I once visited Marrakesh in Morocco, it felt like Mars when I first set foot in this city known for its red clay. The experience inspired me to create this story. Also, from a visit to the NASA museum I learned that animals have been launched into space during early space missions, but nobody really cared about their survival. Therefore, the protagonists of my story are animals, in order to give them a happy ending. It happened that a wave of emigration was emerging when the book was being published, so I added some local elements in the pictures, hoping that it may resonate with those departing the city. I believe that every book has a life cycle of its own. Perhaps it will ring a bell ten years later.
J: Can you tell us more about your works at the feature exhibition of JCCAC Festival 2021 – THE MOMENT?
L: The theme of my series is four seasons. March comes in like a lion represents spring and shows how windy it is in Cambridge in March; The bird who sleeps in the wind is autumn, the swallow sleeping in the wind refers to the “bird without legs” mentioned in the film Days of Being Wild; Be a beautiful beast alludes to summer and lyrics of a song by Ellen Loo; and The odd one out touches on winter, when a flock of sheep huddles together for warmth – I made them into Christmas cards for friends last year. Apart from these four works, I will also display some original sketches.
Lam Kin-choi
J: Any plans in the future?
L: I am fascinated by and yearned for the life of nomads after visiting the Sahara Desert. It made me reflect on the relationship and needs between people and home when I moved house. Therefore, I created a series of works on nomads from Mongolia to Russia. I am currently collaborating with a British publishing house on an encyclopedia about nomads, to record the lifestyle of ten nomadic tribes still in existence.
