HKBU Alumnus Justin Chow Man-hing(Visual Arts)

The BUddy Post reporter has interviewed Justin Chow Man-hing, an alumnus of Visual Arts, who would share with us his passion for creative arts as well as his philosophy of life and many more.

Reporter: Can you share with us your career as a creative artist?

Justin: I attained my Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts in 2012 at Hong Kong Baptist University. Apart from being a creative artist, I am also working as a fashion designer. I have keen interest in drawing ever since I was a little kid. I disliked examinations and traditional classroom learning, therefore, I quitted studying after Form 6 and decided to leave my family in Hong Kong. With my limited saving of HK$3,500, I have led a wandering life in various cities of China for almost half a year. Most of the time, I was communicating with the locals via non-verbal cues as I do not speak their dialects. I was rather arrogant and selfish prior to my wandering about, but I started to realise the importance of communicating with one another and not to be so self-centered. The trip was truly an eye-opening experience which provides inspirations for my creativity.

Reporter: Why did you choose Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts programme as your major of study at HKBU? What is the curriculum of the programme?

Justin: As I said, I disliked traditional education and I am very interested to pursue visual arts study. Having researched on the programme offered by three different universities in Hong Kong, I eventually decided to pursue my study at Hong Kong Baptist University due to its diversified and dynamic curriculum. In particular, I enjoyed very much studying studio and media arts course.I must admit that the academic staff from the Academy of Visual Arts and their ways of teaching have in no small measure contributes to my achievement. I was deeply inspired and influenced to appreciate different aspects of arts by a few good teachers namely, Dr. Ho Siu-kee whose specialty is in sculpture and body aesthetics, Dr. Leung Mee-ping who specialises in visual culture, space saving creativity, public art and community art, and Dr. Emma Watts whose expertise is teaching Western art history and theory, modernity and the ecologies of art. I further internalise the meaning of arts and blended the conceptual theories from these mentors with emotions to create my own art piece.

Reporter: Which one is your most favourite piece of work?

Justin: To a certain extent, A Bubble Sculpture of My Breath 2012 is one of my favourites. No doubt this classical piece of artwork has brought me fame and opportunities.This year, I am planning to construct a world map with skin of fruits. I will experiment the chemistry of different kinds of fruits around the world and the bodily reaction. It’s more than just digesting a piece of fruit, but I will think of some more in-depth elements which are correlated to the fruit, for instance,water, soil, sunshine, people and culture in which the fruit is grown. No matter it is the bubble or the fruit, I am trying to make art more interesting and enhance the awareness of the surroundings.

Reporter: What are the challenges encountered by creative artists in Hong Kong?

Justin: I think it’s absolutely a blessing to live and work in Hong Kong, a metropolitan city where everyone can enjoy freedom of speech and freedom of expressing one’s own feelings. On one hand, artists can experience the hustle and bustle of the city life, and on the other hand, they can also appreciate the beauty of rustic scenery.

Reporter: What is the career prospect of graduates of Visual Arts?

Justin: In fact, the prospects of Visual Arts graduates are very broad as graduates could apply their skill sets and artistic sense to all kinds of works. Arts students were well-trained to conceptualise an innovative idea from scratch into practice. As for me, I have gained work experience from various fields including library assistant, graphic designer, fashion designer and creative artist. I believe that career prospects are determined by one’s perseverance and hard work, but not by what one studies. In my opinion, vocational knowledge doesn’t really matter because it is trainable. It is the attitude and personality that count.

Reporter: How to become a successful creative artist?

Justin: There are lots of stereotypical ideas about success. To most people, success is measured by fame or assets that one owns. To me, living a happy life is a blessing. Living happily and meaningfully is more important than any extrinsic rewards. I don’t intend to follow the mainstream and I prefer to live in my own style of living.

Reporter: What is your advice for fellow HKBU students?

Justin: My philosophy is simple: do something that you truly believe in, otherwise you are not motivated to achieve it. Don’t give a frame to yourself and be sensitive to the surroundings to develop your aesthetic sense. Accomplish works with all your hearts and strengths and openly communicate with others. Don’t just keep on pursuing materialistic rewards. Last of all, be humble.

Interviewee’s Profile:

Alumnus Justin Chow Man-hing is graduated from the Academy of Visual Arts of Hong Kong Baptist University in 2012. Choosing from among over 1,900 entries, his creative work A Bubble Sculpture of My Breath 2012 was selected in the Hong Kong Contemporary Arts Awards 2012. In 2013, he established Opjects Studio as a platform for young artists to showcase their creative works. Please visit Justin’s blog at www.opjects.blogspot.hk for an overview of his diversified projects.