Protanopia Blues was an exciting exhibit by Diggity Douglas (AKA Dave). Dave draws inspiration from Dalì’s brand of surrealism and makes it his own by integrating unique colour play and symbolically caricatured features in his varied but strangely familiar illustrations. While the framing and proportions of many of the pieces in this series might allude to the previous Ice Cream Series, the Protanopia Blues is unique in the way it tackles issues of self-awareness, substance abuse and the artist’s colour blindness.

A CONVERSATION WITH DAVE

Interviewed by Hepsi Nelson

T&C: Hi Dave, from your painting to photography, we know that you use a lot of different kinds of art and mediums. Is there any reason to why you use one medium for something more than another?

D: I usually use drawing as a medium to conceptualize ideas. It’s like the genesis of my surrealist endeavors to put it really weirdly. I try drawing out my ideas and then transferring them to paint, to solidify them as more professional and unique and colorful ways of just expressing myself. Usually pen or pencil to start the idea, and then acrylic to make a quick flash painting, and then oil to finish it off with deeper color bases.

T&C: And in what ways has your personal background and life experiences influenced your Surrealist art? Were there any specific turning points that significantly shaped anything that you do?

D: I come from a predominantly Spanish background. I was born in Spain, and the Spanish masters of the 20th century influenced me the most, because those were who I was exposed at the beginning. Picasso, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí, those were the starting points for me to base my influence on. Slowly I developed my own style through that, touching into abstract and Surrealism and portraiture, and combining the three. My influences also extend to Australia and Africa, because I’ve been to those countries and I’ve seen their art, and they’ve influenced me, the tribal colors and all that. My past experiences have developed my signature as an artist.

T&C: Is surrealism the only aspect of art that you go into? Obviously, your photography is more of a hobby, but in terms of your art, is it just always surrealism or has it always been surrealism?

D: Yes, for the most part. I try to dabble more into other aspects if I’m experimenting. Surrealism and cubism are my safe places. I started off in high school doing realism and charcoal drawings to see if I could capture more accurate lighting. I developed my professional abilities as a life drawer to develop the rules so that I could break them later. That’s something that Picasso says, that if you want to learn how to break the rules, you should learn how to actually do them first. Follow the basic principles of lighting, shape and proportion, and then you can learn to mess around with the subject. I find that learning about art in school, we’re always taught realism first and foremost. If you are going to study art, it’s always realism first and foremost, and they never really push for other things.

T&C: How do you think surrealism has grown or been integrated into pop culture in recent years?

T&C: Could you tell us a bit more on how your color blindness affects your work, or the way that it interacts with your work? We find that many people often use their personal experiences as source of inspiration, has that been the case with yours?

D: In the beginning, I didn’t really notice it much, and didn’t really use it to my advantage. I noticed it here and there when I was doing certain things like rock climbing, I would be climbing in the wrong colour and things like that. Little by little people started telling me, I think you have a slight colour problem. I went about experimenting with it through painting and realised that my colours were a bit skewed. That actually gives me an edge in colour blending, so I incorporated that into my art. Little by little, I went about creating my own colour palette and an interesting personalised way of expressing different saturations and things like that. My colour blindness is called protanopia, which is a deficiency in reds and greens, but I don’t know how accurate that is based on online tests. You can only trust those so much. I have difficulties with colours that are really similar, so yellows and greens, purples and blues, things like that. If colours are too similar, then I can’t really distinguish between them sometimes. My intention for this new exhibition was to create really contrasting colors, with not a white background, but a black background, to make them pop out even more, to give them a sort of depth that really isn’t seen that much in painting. Blues and reds, there’s a lot of blues and reds. Which is funny because blues and reds really, for me, don’t go well together. If I ever see someone wearing blue and red, I’m like, ooh. In terms of the painting, I was like, you know, these actually work together in terms of contrasting.There’s a lot of reds and pinks that I found very fascinating, because whether it was on purpose or not, there were certain paintings that were telling parts of the story that were a bit more intense than on the other ones, and I found that very interesting.For this series, I just wanted to really contrast the colors that were trying to work together.

T&C:  And in terms of your personal community, we know that building an artist and a creative community in Hong Kong can be fairly difficult. Is it something that you struggled with and have you found more of a community or built one?

D: Yeah, I mean the barrier in language between us Gwailo, white folk, and the foreigners and the locals can be difficult sometimes. That’s why you don’t really see that many foreigners collaborating with local artists. And I feel like that’s bridging slowly. Recently, I did an exhibition in Tsim Sha Tsui with the M+ Heath collaboration. And that was really something special for me because I got to collaborate with a lot of local Cantonese-based artists who I would have never heard about if I’d never done something like that. So yeah, it’s just about bridging the connection between the different cultures. Because Hong Kong is just a cultural hub. 

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IN -DEPTH TALK WITH JULIEN REJL

The event showcased a selection of short independent films that were part of the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, including The House is on Fire, Might as Well Get Warm, The Birthday Party, A Storm Inside, and I Saw the Face of the Devil. Moreover, audience members had the riveting opportunity to listen to a Q&A session hosted by film critic and programmer Kiki Fung. Audience members also got to ask their questions to Julien Rejil, their artistic director of Directors’ Fortnight since June 2022, with questions ranging from how Julien believes movie internationalisation should be treated and the ways new directors might be heard or encouraged. 

The theme of marginalisation was particularly present during the discussion, and Julien provided strikingly self-aware and astute answers to many such questions. In the creative industry, marginalisation can be characterised as the social, economic or political conditions that might prevent the realisation of an artistic piece’s full potential or outreach. The Cannes movie festival was one of the first opportunities where previously invisible films could have a spotlight; therefore, the Director’s Fortnight builds on these founding principles. The exclusion of many Asian films from this year’s Director’s Fortnight did come up in the discussion following the screenings; thus, leading many audience members to wonder whether Asian cinema has a place in Cannes and the representation-quality balance. 

Ultimately, while it is essential for more diverse voices to be heard, Julien’s standout reply emphasised the need to be ‘surprised’– in a way that could only be likened to Ego from Ratatouille, the 2007 Pixar animated film. Art is subjective, but in this writer’s opinion, the criteria for ‘good’ art ultimately come down to authenticity and the ‘surprise’ value, regardless of its form. Thus, it was great to hear Julien’s firm reaffirmations of these values throughout the discussion on ‘How can we be more future-oriented?’ Participants greatly appreciated the opportunity to attend this event and hope for continued opportunities to experience, understand and discuss the creative industry.

IN -DEPTH TALK WITH DEREK TSANG

This year, Eye Catcher events were held at two prestigious venues, Soho House and the Hong Kong Arts Centre. Hong Kong Filmmaker and director Derek Tsang spoke about his recent co- directing experience with Netflix series “3 Body Problem” and offered insights into the film industry at Soho House. Moderated by Creative Director of Eye Catcher Global, Eric Tsang, the two dived into a thought provoking and meaningful conversation into the film industry. 

Derek mentioned the importance of acknowledging mutual support required by both parties when considering the relationship between actors and directors. Actors can assist directors not only during auditions and filming but also through effective communication and trust-building. This mutual support then becomes especially crucial in fast-paced environments such as Hong Kong’s film industry, where pre-shoot familiarity can significantly enhance on-set efficiency. Directors are increasingly recognizing the value of establishing close, personal relationships with actors beforehand, whether through discussing roles or simply getting to know each other better. This understanding and trust will allow actors to have the creative freedom they need during filming.

When asked about the benefits of film school, Derek delved into how film can contribute to building a network of passionate peers who can become lifelong collaborators and explained how practical experience can often be more valuable in this industry. 

Eye catcher Global Socials

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Therefore, the event serves to reiterate these themes, which are made even more evident by the surrounding timeless historical paintings that capture the true nature of humanity, as Snapchat aims to do through its own medium. This promotion of Snapchat’s new unique, healthy features that facilitate interaction between friends and creators alike aligns with the global trend among many social media giants since BeReal. It demonstrates a global shift away from superficiality and towards authenticity. As part of the event, participants also got to experience an augmented reality photo booth that was made to support International Friendship Day on June 29th.

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Photos taken by vanessaye

Feb 21st 2024, Grand Opening

Amid the competitive dining scene in Hong Kong, dedicated chefs like Gavin Chin are opening new restaurants to satisfy the city’s food lovers. One such establishment is the House of Culture, which recently opened its doors after almost a year of preparation. Despite its inconspicuous location, the restaurant attracts patrons intrigued by its concept of highlighting diverse cultural expressions. The menu offers a variety of creative dishes that fuse Asian flavours with French techniques, ranging from ceviche to curries. The restaurant also features a bar and open kitchen, allowing guests to observe the culinary process.

The post HOUSE OF CULTURE GRAND OPENING appeared first on T&C Magazine.

WHAT INSPIRED THE CREATION OF KINSMAN?

There was a big gap in what the bar scene looked like in Hong Kong. There were mainly many Western-style bars, American speakeasies, and whiskey bars, but nothing in Hong Kong celebrated Cantonese and Chinese spirits. There are a lot of unique spirits from Guangdong and Southern China that are worth people getting to know. 

I think Hong Kong has always looked outward, but nobody thought to look inward for what’s ‘cool’ and ‘trendy’, but I think many Hong Kongers will find a whole new category to explore. It matters in this day and age when a lot of Hong Kongers have left Hong Kong, and many feel deflated about the direction of the city. So, I started Kinsman to encourage people to remember that we have a unique culture that more people should know about.

WHAT INSPIRED THIS UNIQUE DRINK COLLECTION?

One of the unique things about Kinsman is its use of 玉冰燒, a kind of spirit that’s made from infusing pig fat into rice wine that results in an approachable cross between rosè, milk and pandan. We use some old brands that have been around since the 1870s-1880s, like Wing Lee Wai and Snake wine from local inherited in distilleries as close as Cochrane Street! A lot of people don’t realise that many Chinese alcohols originated as a form of traditional Chinese medicine for generations as a way of boosting health in one way or another. 

This adds some edge to the cocktails, a forgotten benefit central to Cantonese spirits and allows us to look at both these old spirits and Canton culture in a new light. While other places like Quinary have used 玉冰燒 before, where the entire menu comprises Cantonese spirits, the bartending community lacks awareness. Kinsman represents a unique shift as we try to make people more aware of this kind of alcohol and make it the hero of our cocktail menu. This contrasts the attitudes of many Chinese and Baijiu companies, which aren’t particularly savvy with their marketing and don’t care much for advertising their alcohol to be included in modern cocktails, unlike big Western alcohol companies that pour lots of money into making sure their products are used in cocktails.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE COCKTAIL ON THE MENU?

My favourite is papaya wine as it’s pretty complex and uses a lot of traditional Chinese medicines, botanicals and herbs blended with Papaya as a spice-forward spirit which helps with healthy blood flow and circulation. This is combined with a local gin called NIP from Magnolia Lab. A poached papaya and fungus dessert inspired the drink, which is appetisingly garnished with a bit of snow fungus. 

HOW WOULD YOU CLASSIFY YOUR CULTURAL BACKGROUND? HOW HAS THAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISIONS WITH THIS ESTABLISHMENT?

I was born in Vancouver but grew up mainly in Hong Kong’s international school system, studying at West Island School. Although I wouldn’t consider myself 100% local, I love Hong Kong very much, and it’s the one place I see myself living in for the next few years. Maybe because of this, I was inquisitive about the undiscovered side of things, something I wanted to explore at Kinsman. 

Right: Kat Tse ( Editor in Chief of Terms and Conditions Magazine) & Gavin Yeung( Founder of Kinsman)

ARE THERE ANY NEW ADDITIONS TO THE MENU THAT YOU WOULD BE EXCITED TO TELL READERS ABOUT?

The Dragon and Phoneix is our take on the Old Fashioned, where we combine snake wine (dragon) and duck egg (phoenix) with a Hawthorn Lolipop Candy. We also have the Starling Spirit, named after the body of water separating old traditional villages in New Territories from Shenzhen. There are a lot of farms in these villages that specialise in farming persimmon, kumquat and other irregular fruit. What’s unique about the Starling Spirit is that it is easy and changes with the season, being more sour one month using Longan and changing the next while still using the same black glutinous rice wine base. 

FAVOURITE WONG KAR WAI FILM?

Definitely, In the Mood For Love resonated with most people, but Fallen Angels is also excellent. It’s pretty neglected, and not many people know it, maybe because it’s a bit edgier and moodier. 

DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR ENTREPRENEURS WHO WANT TO GET STARTED IN THE RESTAURANT OR F&B INDUSTRY?

I would say it’s essential to have a story behind your concept. It’s straightforward to open a passable bar and fly above the compensation as long as you have this strong concept that sticks in people’s minds and use the restaurant or bar to educate people about the things that have fallen by the wayside. If you can immerse people in your creation, you might as well use it to do some good! 

INTERVIEWS 

In addition to this exclusive interview with Gavin, we interviewed a couple of guests during the opening night who commented on the whole event. 

SASHA WASEEM

“This is an excellent event in the New Year, and there were many great conversations about the grand opening. The good thing is that the class of people had terrific drinks and were grateful, which everyone enjoyed. The celebrity event atmosphere was charming, with diverse people worldwide. I also got invited by a friend, and it’s also great to see some familiar faces.”

Sasha Waseem | Film Producer & Founder of Film Awards TV

ASHLEY

“It’s been a while, so it’s good to see many familiar faces from the industry supporting each other. A lot of bartenders and a lot of spirit producers came and said hi!”

Ashley | Instagram @hkfoodcrawlers

Left: Angel Lai ( PR) Right: Sasha Waseem ( Film Producer) 

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