Saturday, 22 September 2012

A Letter from Hong Dam

Hello There,

Thank you so much for those amazing comments relating to my art work at the Brighton Art Fair. What am I doing on the computer at 4am in the morning, I should be in bed. I have another 2 days of the art fair to do. But I am still buzzing and touched from all the comments and connections you have with my work. So far I have said very little about my work, I wanted to let art work do the talking. But people have shown so much interest in work that I want to write a bit about it:


I was particularly touched by a lady call Pauline at the Brighton Art Fair when she said 'I was looking around for art work which say something about the world we live in and your work said it all. Your work has an environmental aspect to them'
 
 
What is your work about?
My art work is a journey of self discovery, exploring: love, loss, separation, and the most powerful thing of all ­hopes and dreams. The hopes and dreams are what keep me going and willing me to survive the uncertainty of the unknown, a journey I may not survive. Like a dandelion; I will keep going and flourish where I can, I just have to believe in the impossible and stand up against all the odds. I feel my experiences make me a stronger person.

What's your reason for doing it?
My reason for doing my art work is purely to remind myself where I came from. Be contented with what I have and value those who are dear to me ­ 'The grass is always greener on the other side'. Chasing rainbows is not going to give me happiness, there will always be people who are better off than I am.

It's a visual diary of the different facets of my childhood memories from sculptures made from natural materials through to digital paintings; nature verses technology and East versus West. I often feel I am floating between two worlds; not belonging to one or the other.


I would like to think that my work expresses some of those haunting yet thought provoking qualities which I am trying to get across. I hope my work connects with some of those who are also far away from home, longing to be back with their family.

What mediums do you use to express yourself?
I use images, words, and materials (like driftwoods, leaves, bamboo, canes etc, many are found materials) that remind me of the past to tell my stories. I convey my feelings through using vivid colour, shape and form to tell a story of two cultures – a fusion of East and West.
I would like to leave you with this phrase:'It is the people who made it a memorable place, otherwise it is just an empty space'

Hong Dam



No comments: