"Every time I finish a painting composition, written parts of a title or especially when I attach a title to a painting that fits really well, my world makes a little more sense."
Heiyi's Instagram: @heiyitam
How and when did you know you wanted to be an artist?
It took me a long time to call myself an artist. But I think I was an artist before I knew I wanted to be one. Painting comes naturally to me, it’s my means to express and document what I cannot articulate concretely. The process of being creative is so addictive, it helps me understand the world around me better. I get to piece things together, things I have experienced, parts of me that I do not yet understand, parts of me that I grew up with - it's often arduous and quite emotional. But every time I finish a painting composition, written parts of a title or especially when I attach a title to a painting that fits really well, my world makes a little more sense. It is also why my work focuses on the intangible and why I don’t attach concrete meaning to any work. There is a focus on accepting the fluidity of fragmented and reconstructed memories, moments, and stories.
What was your experience of art school?
It was such a whirlwind. I felt very much like I was in a bubble. I wanted to learn a lot and try everything. It was like being in a massive playground - I got to play around a lot. And playing is still very pertinent in my practice now. Art school was where I realised that being creative is not linear. I rediscovered my interest in writing and poetry and slowly weaved it into my paintings. My works are each distinguished by a story which is reflected by the corresponding titles, revealing glimpses of inspiration and flavours behind each painting.
Can you tell us more about the ideas and inspiration behind your work?
I was born and raised in Hong Kong and moved to the UK when I was 15. I have always been very curious about identifying the subtleties of the merging of East and West through landscapes, cultures and cuisines as I have spent so much time in both countries. There are a lot of diasporic narratives that underline my work throughout, echoing specific flavours or feelings in a particular place. I’m also hugely inspired by animated films and film scores, I grew up with a lot of them and revisiting them takes me back to when I was little. My practice is ultimately anchored by nostalgia, memories, stories and flavours.
Are there other artists or movements that have inspired your work?
Absolutely - I could go on and on but more recently I’ve been looking at works by Naofumi Maruyama, Andi Fischer, Christine Sun Kim, Franz Kline, Frank Bowling, and Zdenek Konvalina. However, Francis Bacon and Georgia O’Keefe were the ones who got me into painting in the early years! I was also really into Surrealism back then and did my BA in Psychology and Philosophy, which form a significant part of my practice now. It all begins from there, my intrigue with memories, meaning, aesthetics, existence, and perception.
Can you describe a typical day in the studio? How do you approach your work?
I don’t paint every day and I’m not in the studio every day. For me, being out in the world and ‘not working’ helps me get some distance and perspective. I find that I get most of my ideas when I’m not actively trying to create in the studio.
Because my work surrounds the reimagination of snippets of memories and moments, I’m constantly cataloguing current moments and memories when they resurface. I also jot down ideas or phrases when I’m reading or watching films as they slip into my mind. And often, that is when I have the impulse to create.
I work in a lot of layers in my paintings, so it takes a lot of time and I need to listen to what it needs from me. I’ve learnt to be really patient with my work, even though I work very intuitively. I always have something playing in the background when I’m painting. My go-to is film/movie scores and soundtracks. Whenever I have just seen a series or a film and am absolutely obsessing over it, I listen to the soundtrack album on a loop and paint, it works wonders for me.