Interview and review by Kio Leong
Just last month local artist and creator of GrideToys Gride Chan Wang Hou presented his toy art at ART TOY CON Macau 2023 in the Tap Seac Commercial Centre, also called Tap Seac Glasshouse, and at Toy Academy’s “GAME ON” POP-UP STORE at the Venetian Macao Cotai Expo Hall D, but it turns out it was neither the artist’s toy art debut – not on the market at least – nor his artistic debut.
An exclusive online interview with Chan, artist, toy art designer and art teacher, was held a fortnight ago during which Chan shared his artistic journey and more about his toy art designs.
His toy art designs were displayed in a local coffee shop earlier this year, followed by the finished products in local and online shops. Being able to turn your own designs into physical products was probably a long and arduous process – possibly an exclusive one, as well – but the artist told The Macau Post Daily it was relatively straightforward, something anyone with passion and will can do.
Surprisingly, the artist doesn’t adhere to a fixed artistic style in his toy art designs, opting to experiment with different forms and aesthetics instead. For him, creating art is a free, improvised process, sometimes like an “epiphany”. This time Chan based his designs on a “retro” style with a “novel and fresh twist”.
How an idea ‘takes shape’
Chan always has had a predilection for stories and storytelling, and when he came across three “peculiar” mythological beasts in the Classics of Mountains and Seas, a Chinese classical text, an idea sprouted.
“What if I grant this piece of fiction ‘life’ and bring it into the material world?”
And thus, the brainchildren of myth and art were born: a stout, angry-looking yet effortlessly “cute” statuette; a canine-looking beast; and a Chelonian creature – imagination made into reality through craft, care and a bit of creativity.
The ‘Chameleon Way’
His journey as an artist wasn’t quite as smooth as his toy art career, though – Chan had also lived the artist story. Even so, he has now found his stride with the people and the work he loves. But how did everything start?
The local artist had once faced a dilemma many teenagers encounter near the end of their high school life: he chose the wrong major at university. It wasn’t evocative of his soul.
Thus, with all the reckless courage and restless energy of youth, the artist decided to halt his studies and broaden his horizons in other ways.
“Sometimes, you’ve got to take things slowly,” Chan underlined, “and stay calm and composed. Care less about what you can’t control and more about what you can.”
And so he roamed China in pursuit of art, huddled in art studios and learnt from both instructors and classmates. Chan, believing that he had absorbed all that books could not offer him, returned to university and acquired a diploma related to art to consolidate his lessons and legitimise his passion.
His days of artistic wandering had equipped him with sturdy wings and scholarships that enabled him to sail through university, with his artworks appearing in local galleries and multinational exhibitions. Soon, hungry for more knowledge, Chan pursued his master’s degree. Like a chameleon, he has now fully adapted and assimilated into this colourful world around him after taking his time to transform and be comfortable in his own skin.
Art: The Diary of Man
To retain individuality, Chan shares a simple, conventional method, but evidently foolhardy: learn from others, and embrace the art style that genuinely speaks to you.
But how can art become markedly “you” if it has foreign elements? Despite the many faces of Chan’s art, it still bears a distinctive mark. A theme that persists and penetrates throughout -- life, society and story. A storybook strung with scenes from his life and the world. For what is art but a patchwork of observations from life, stitched together by personal sentiments, dyed with biases and designed by circumstances and will.
And it was through teaching a student to draw a chameleon that Chan’s first solo exhibition came to be – he had used the chameleon, an outside influence and perceptible object to symbolise his inner thoughts and personal stories. “Mr Chameleon” is partly its creator and Macau, “unruffled and methodical”. It seems that looking at the bigger picture one will find oneself adapting to alien conditions and thriving just like a chameleon, albeit slowly.
Chan’s latest solo exhibition, “I am a Sketcher”, continues the chronicle of his life, encapsulating the joys, the sorrows, the doubts and the hopes within the four sides of paper, all bound together by an extra thread of two identities he was recently blessed with. A husband and a father.
“But always a student,” Chan underlined. “For there is no graduation on this path.”
Not too long ago was Chan’s toy art debut, but it’s clear that his identity as an artist has solidified. As with the rest of his artworks, he had unconsciously woven himself into them, revealing his penchant for toy-collecting and manga, from which his love for art and toys had emerged.
“The road to art is hard,” Chan noted, “but with courage, resilience and mastery of craft, one will gain their footing in this ever-growing, culturally vibrant land.”
As Chan adds new faces and memories to his diary, why don’t young and aspiring artists also take the first step closer to their heart, find their own identity and let passion speak for itself?
Toy art by local artist and creator of GrideToys Chan Wang Hou, namely “Xingtian” (left), “Xuangui” (middle) and “Boyi”, inspired by the characters in the “Classics of Mountains and Seas”.
A portrait painting by Chan of his second son with his wife’s hand titled “Halo”.
A sculpture of the Tyrannosaurus titled “T-Rex” by Chan.
Chan’s self-portrait titled “Hi, Me”.
An acrylic painting titled “Dreamer” from Chan’s first solo exhibition, “Mr Chameleon in Macau”.
A portrait painting depicting Chan’s first born surrounded by toys titled “Party”.
A collection of some portraits of Chan’s students, some of which appeared in Chan’s last solo exhibition, “I am a Sketcher”.
All photos provided by Chan
