Interview with Chan Suk On
How would you describe yourself and your artwork?
Chan Suk On is a TT person. TT represents a crying face. It is an international symbol. The horizontal lines of T represent the eyes and the vertical lines represent tear. “TT Portrait” is a person without a name, it can be everyone or anyone. People has no distinction of gender, age, class, wealth and dress code. In her world, everyone is fair. These photos show the mental state of an era. In the society, communication often uses emoji in social media. It is quick and convenient. It takes less than a second to press the icon and you can instantly express your emotions. This subculture has penetrated into social circles. It is rarely written in words.
Portraiture use a white background, and the visual elements mainly use circles to represent the eyes and mouth. All of them are close up shots. She uses photographic equipment and accessories for creation, mainly metal materials, for orderly arrangement. Making the objects have a character with humanity. The composition is graphical, concise, tough and humorous with a bit of bitterness. In her mind, it is no need to pretend to be a happy person. The photo is like a mirror. If you are not happy at the moment, you may like her work. No one has the privilege to escape from fear, angry, tired and sorrow.
How do you go about beginning a new piece? Do you have an idea already in mind, or do you start working with materials or sketches to find the departure point?
Improvisation is a mode of creation, without any sketches, making artworks based on feelings. Choosing background paper and test the lighting to take a shot. After finishing the work, I will look for different people, such as relatives, classmates and friends to see their reactions and opinions. The process of sharing works is very interesting, they have different backgrounds and professions. Sometimes I will accept the opinions of others and modify the work. Originality is very important.
When do you think your most prolific time of day or week is?
My most prolific time of day is in the morning on Sunday.
What is a barrier you as an artist overcame? Is there anything that enabled you to develop your work as an artist in your life?
A barrier is no income and difficult to sell the artworks. Art can heal my heart. It is the source of spirituality. In my creation, I found the emotional exit and found the happiness of creation. When I sad, I want to express my insight doing artwork.
Did you have an idea of what you wanted to create right from the beginning?
Sometimes is yes. Sometimes is no. It depends on my inspiration.
What is the meaning or creative inspiration for your work? We’re curious what the narrative or story is to what you are producing?
Photography is international language beyond the words. The image is between to be real and not to be real. It contains the ambiguous. It represents the cultural and social factors.
Besides your artworks, are there any other things in life that your voice as an artist may consider vital or valuable? What makes you joyful and creative, in other words?
I read the newspaper and magazine how to reflect the world and how to represent the value to the readers. Art is more personal to represent the insights of life. It makes me joyful and creative.
Are there any exhibitions or places where people can see these beautiful creations in person soon? Anything on the horizon?
On my website: httpschansukon.com
Top 10 Contemporary Artists-volume III on page 200-225 ( https://www.mastersoftoday.com/eBooks/Top10Artists-vol3/Top10Artists-vol3.html )
Photography in the Visual Culture 2021 curated by Musa International Art and Serradifalco Editore
