畫家葉耀宗 | 專訪 畫筆下的時光之旅

畫家葉耀宗｜ 專訪 ｜畫筆下的時光之旅

畫家葉耀宗 @yipyewchong

新加坡畫家，創作涵蓋帆布繪畫、壁畫、裝置藝術及數位繪畫，常以描繪昔日地方生活場景為主題。其街頭壁畫創作最廣為人知，過去十年在世界各地繪製了約100幅壁畫，並舉辦了三場以帆布繪畫為媒介的個展。

在成為全職藝術家之前，我從事了25年的會計師工作，並於2015年底起繪製街頭壁畫。在2016年到2018年中之間，我仍從事全職金融工作，並將週末繪製街頭壁畫視為興趣。隨著作品越來越多並且受到廣泛歡迎，我便從2018年年中決定全職投入藝術工作。2020年新冠疫情爆發時，所有的街頭創作都停擺了。此時我租了一間工作室，專注於帆布繪畫，隨後創作數量之多，讓我得以在2021年舉辦了兩場個展，當中所有作品均售罄。

Q1. 當您首次看到新加坡各處以「SG50」為主題慶祝獨立50周年的壁畫，以及現居檳城的立陶宛Ernest Zacharevic在維多利亞街頭的創作時，甚麼最吸引到您？您之後又是如何受到啟發，從而開始創作自己的作品？

“當我在2014/2015年間看到新加坡和馬來西亞湧現許多街頭壁畫時，我意識到這門藝術既是合法又可行性高，促使我有信心繪製大型壁畫。我在求學時代曾為舞台背景和活動畫過各種大型畫作，儘管我沒有在公共場合創作的經驗，我仍於2015年嘗試繪製街頭壁畫。我的首批作品受到公眾熱烈迴響，之後的也是大家知道的故事了。”

Q2. 您在童年居住的社區和遊樂場作畫，對您而言有何意義？當時有哪些特別的回憶湧上心頭？

“我在新加坡牛車水度過了愉快的童年。我家並不富裕，我們與其他好幾戶租客同住在一間老舊破敗的出租屋裡，樓下就是殯儀館。儘管如此，我十分珍惜那些家庭溫暖、鄰里情誼以及熙攘街頭的美好回憶，讓我自然地喜歡在這些充滿珍貴回憶之地進行創作。”

Q3. 您是完全憑藉記憶和想像力作畫，而不使用任何照片參考嗎？這樣的話您是如何記住城市景觀的所有微小細節，同時又能捕捉到社區的氛圍？

“我總是嘗試只畫那些讓我感到熱情並產生連結的事物。我畫的內容基本上都是來自我自身的生活記憶。我的靈感來自：1. 經歷/記憶 (25%)，2. 資料搜集 (25%)，3. 想像力 (50%)。沒有親身經歷，實在難以捕捉到當地的氛圍；沒有資料搜集，就無法掌握細節，作品就無法被人辨識、難以引起共鳴；沒有想像力，我甚至無法創作一幅畫！”

Q4. 可以分享您在新加坡以外的壁畫創作經驗嗎？

“我在新加坡以外的大部分壁畫都是應邀性質。他們因喜歡我的作品而透過社群媒體找到我。在海外繪製壁畫時就像我在新加坡一樣，仔細描繪當地的日常生活，尤其是那些舊日時光。我會先在街上走走，汲取靈感，然後進行資料搜集以確保細節準確到位。接著，我便運用想像力構思草圖，並徵求當地人的同意，確保避免冒犯當地的禁忌。當地人都喜愛我的作品，因為他們能從作品中所傳達的正面情感與自身生活經驗連結起來、產生共嗚。”

Q5. 香港是您《I Paint My World》繪本系列中描繪的地方之一，可以跟我們分享您對香港的印象以及她的動人之處？

“我對香港很熟悉，因為她是我從事金融工作以及繪畫旅行期間經常到訪的地方。事實上，我的第一幅於海外創作的畫作便是於2016年在香港完成的。我在新加坡的牛車水長大，那裡是一個充斥粵語文化的地區，從小便接觸香港的電視和音樂，使我對香港文化並不陌生。我喜歡這座城市那種充滿活力、同時緊湊的城市氛圍；而寧靜廣闊的遠足徑卻在不遠處，只要短途駕車便能到達。”

Q6. 您從事藝術創作已超過十年，曾形容這趟旅程充滿曲折卻令人愉悅。您在當中遇到過哪些挑戰，又是甚麼為您帶給滿足感？

“在我十年的藝術生涯中（三年兼職，七年全職），我的旅程相對順遂且愉快。我曾遇到一些挑戰，但會把它視為所有藝術家都會遇到的常態，例如收入不穩定、未能獲得應有的重視、版權被侵犯、在暢銷題材與個人創作意願之間取得平衡、尋找人脈、展覽展出的空間和時間等等。

我每天醒來都對「工作」感到興奮，因為那正是我的熱情所在。至今我很幸運，作品仍然有銷路，而且我能掌控自己的時間，選擇自己想做的事。然而，我明白沒有甚麼是永恆的，就像所有街頭壁畫終將隨著時間消失。因此，我把創作視為一趟旅程，並讓我的作品隨著時間演進。從《I Paint My Singapore》走到《I Paint My World》，題材的上轉變讓我不會因為老是畫同樣的東西而感到乏味，同時也能與世界各地更多不同的人建立友誼。”

Q7. 您可否與我們分享一些創作上的感悟？

“我繪畫的初衷，是因為它帶給我無盡的喜悅。其次，這份事業不僅養活了我，也支撐著我的生活所需。更讓我欣喜的是，我的作品能為他人帶來歡樂，讓我得到意想不到的收穫。這些畫作也為社會作出貢獻，無論用於教育、旅遊推廣、文化傳承，還是長者的心理健康治療，都讓我倍感欣慰。這一切，都讓我感到加倍快樂。”

Artist Yip Yew Chong | Interview

I’m a Singaporean visual artist. I practise canvas paintings, murals, installations and digital painting. The theme of my works often depict scenes of a place’s daily life in the olden days. My most visible works are street murals and I’ve painted about 100 murals around the world in my last 10 years doing public murals. I’ve also held three canvas paintings solo exhibitions.

I was an accountant for 25 years before becoming a full-time artist in mid 2018. I started painting street murals in late 2015. Between 2016 and mid 2018, I still held a full-time finance job and painted street murals on weekends as a hobby. As I painted more and more, my works got more popular. With this recognition, I decided to do art full-time from mid 2018. When Covid-19 hit in 2020, all street works halted. I rented a studio and focused on canvas paintings. I painted so many that I was able to hold two solo sold-out exhibitions in 2021. Nowadays, I am focused on canvas paintings, installations and digital works. I continue to paint some murals but more selectively.

Q1. What attracted you the most when you first saw the SG50-themed murals across Singapore and the work crafted by Ernest Zacharevic on Victoria Street? How were you inspired to create your own works afterwards?

“When I saw many street murals popping up in Singapore and Malaysia in 2014/2015, I realised it was legal and possible. I was confident of painting large murals since I had done various in my school days for stage backdrops and events though they were not public. So in 2015, I tried to do street murals too. My first works were warmly received by the public and the rest are history.”

Q2. What does it mean to you to paint in your childhood neighborhood and playground? What special memories come to mind when you do so?

“I had a happy childhood growing up in Singapore’s Chinatown. My family was not rich. We lived in an old rented run-down house together with multiple other family tenants, located above a funeral parlour. But I cherished the fond memories of the warmth of family, neighbours and the bustling streets. Naturally, I love to paint these fond memories and where they had happened.”

Q3. Do you paint solely from memory and imagination, without using any photos as references? If so, how can you remember all the little details of a city’s landscape while still capturing the vibe of a community?

“I always try to only paint things I have a passion and connection with. Basically, I paint my lived experiences. Thus, my inspiration comes from 1. Experience/Memory (25%), 2. Research (25%), 3. Imagination (50%). Without lived experience, it’s hard to get the vibe right. Without research, I can’t get the detail right and thus the art becomes unidentifiable and unrelatable. Without imagination, I can’t even compose a painting!”

Q4. Could you share your experiences of painting murals outside Singapore?

“Most of my murals outside Singapore are on an invitation basis. The parties found me through social media because they liked my works. Just like my Singapore murals, I strive to paint the place’s daily life, especially in the olden days. I’ll first walk the streets to draw inspiration. I’ll then research to get the details right. Then I compose a sketch with my imagination to get approval from the locals, making sure offensive taboos are avoided. The locals loved my works because they can relate to the positive vibe of the artwork to their own lives experiences.”

Q5. Hong Kong is one of the places that you painted in your series of ‘I Paint my World.’ Could you share with us your impressions and what you like most about this place?

“I’m familiar with Hong Kong because of frequent visits during my finance work and painting trips. In fact, my first painting overseas was in HK in 2016. I grew up in Singapore’s Chinatown, which is a predominantly Cantonese-culture environment. Since I was young, I was exposed to Hong Kong TV and music, so I felt familiar with Hong Kong culture. I love Hong Kong’s energetic and compact city vibe, yet a short drive away are vast serene hiking trails.”

Q6. You have been doing art for more than 10 years, and you once said that this journey was winding but delightful. What have been the challenges, and what brings you satisfaction?

“In my 10 years doing art (3 years part time and 7 years full time), my journey has been relatively smooth and enjoyable. I see some challenges but treat them as normal and common amongst all artists, such as irregular income, not being properly valued, copyright infringement, balance between what sells and what I wish to do, finding connections, exhibition space and time.

I enjoy waking up everyday excited about “going to work” because it is my passion. I am lucky so far that my works still sell, and I can control my time and choose what I wish to do more or less. However, I recognise nothing lasts forever, just like all street murals will fade and disappear over time. Thus, I treat it as a journey and evolve my artworks over time. From “I Paint my Singapore”, I’ve moved on to “I Paint my World” so that I will not be bored painting the same things, and I also get to befriend more diverse people around the world.”

Q7. Do you have any creative insights you‘d like to share with us?

“The first reason I paint is because it makes me happy. Secondly, it earns me money and brings food on the table. Thirdly, it is a bonus that my works makes others happy. My works have indirectly served the society, such as used in education, tourism promotion, heritage and culture propagation, and mental health therapy for seniors. All these make me happier.”

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新加坡畫家介紹｜葉耀宗Yip Yew Chong

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藝術無處不在，那麼藝術家呢？

我們想將那些在城市裏默默畫、默默拍、默默創作的香港本地藝術工作者，由工廈、街頭或家中帶到日山，讓更多人認識他們對藝術獨一無二的視野，了解他們作品背後的創作理念等，這一切源於我們深信，用心創作的藝術品值得更多人看見。

如欲購買更多藝術家之作品，歡迎於Profile頁面登入日山藝社官網或DM，支持本土藝術！
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Additional Link:
1. Art + Travel of YC
2. 壁畫大師葉耀宗最新作品完成了！耗時25天半製作，快來甘榜格南打卡
3. 葉耀宗Yip Yew Chong之Instagram@yipyewchong