27 March 2014
On the Flip Side of Life
With a life of ups and downs not unlike any average Hong Konger's, the city's renowned cartoon artist Yim Yee-king, endearingly known as 'Ah Chung', has influenced each cranny of Hong Kong with his work on anything from thorny political issues to witty life wisdom.
"Becoming a cartoon artist came naturally for me," recalled Ah Chung. "I dropped out of school in the second year of secondary school to become a paperboy, and delivered newspaper from 5am to 11am. After work, I would always go painting at what is now known as the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens. I began visiting various painting exhibition and reading art-related books as my interest in painting grew." A few years later, he found a job as an art designer for a local newspaper. As life's twists and turns would have it, Ah Chung's illustration was chosen by an editor to make up for the imagery shortage for front page international news, and thus began his career as a caricaturist following raving reviews of his art work.
Penning his caricature with his real name Yim Yee-king from the 1960s to 1980s, Ah Chung has been known for his astute and caustic political satire, yet the caricaturist with his acerbic style began to change as he aged. "Caricature portrays the world in a strictly black and white manner. I was at such a tender age that I thought I could play God and be the one who judges. The older I got the more I realised that nothing is absolute in life or in this world, and it was with this realisation that I have lost the ability to produce caricature works that I was happy with."
But Ah Chung didn't just quit his job like that. Obliged by a sense of responsibility to fulfil the needs of the newspaper's readers, he continued to draw while drinking off all the misery that was only felt and understood by himself. "In the end, my family and I decided to emigrate to Los Angeles, the United States."
Second Chance in Life
Looking back at himself back then, without a penny to his name but a handful of words in his English vocabulary, Ah Chung admits that the decision to relocate was one out of sheer irreverence and adventurousness. "What I didn't foresee was that the move would turn out to be a second chance in life." Considering his limited strengths and English vocabulary, Ah Chung found a job in making picture frames while also framing pictures. Despite the language barrier, Ah Chung was favoured by his westerner clients for his reliability, seriousness about and uncompromising sense of aesthetics. "Business picked up and I began to blend into the local life – some clients even offered to teach me English!"
Just as life settled down, Ah Chung found comfort once again in expressing himself through painting. "Some of my friends said that they could relate to my paintings, and so I printed part of my works out." And it was then that he decided to pen his artworks with 'Ah Chung'. "There was this Chinese seal with the words 'rice weevil' engraved on it that a friend of my father's gave him. I really liked the seal and decided to use 'Ah Chung' (literally 'worm') as my penname." With the change of his penname also came the change in style. "My first painting was nothing political. It was of a monk covering his mouth with his hands, and the caption went: 'It's not that I don't have a mouth, I just don't want to speak.'"
Cartoon is a way through which Ah Chung expresses himself. When asked about his works' power of influence, Ah Chung explained: "Cartoon is an art where the artist is free to decide the theme and ways of expression without constraints. As the artist expresses himself from the bottom of his heart, his audience will also find it easier to discern the meaning of the artwork and pursue that genuine sentiment and enjoyment."
As he ages, Ah Chung has become more spontaneous with the form and meaning of his artworks. "I'm a curious, inquisitive person. Paintings are the expression of the answers I have found to my questions." But at times when certain life philosophies are understood and yet to be actualised, would readers be the ones who live out the philosophies instead? "One day, when I was dining at a cha chaan teng (traditional Cantonese diner), I was surprised when a waiter paid my bill. I soon learnt that he once thought of committing suicide after a breakup, and the fact that he was still alive and staying upbeat and positive was because he saw my painting on 'letting go, despite how a relationship was once important to one'. I'm always grateful to my readers, because it's their realisation that gives my paintings that extra bit of meaning and influential power."
Go with the Flow
A self-proclaimed pessimist, Ah Chung is intriguingly the creator of artworks that ooze positive energy. "There are two sides to everything. The flip side of the negative side is the positive, and the opposite of unhappy is happy! Believe me, all the problems in life can be solved with this mindset," said Ah Chung. "On a full stomach once, I was struggling whether to stuff my stomach with the rest of the meal or leave it to waste. But when I thought of the people living in hunger, I was suddenly not full anymore and gladly finished the rest of the meal – those last few bites were the best part of the meal. It's amazing how looking things from a different perspective can turn something loathsome into enjoyment. Try it next time when you get the chance to."
Retirement has never crossed Ah Chung's mind despite his 81 years of age – his goal now is to become an artist. "People keep calling me an artist but I'm really just a painter. Artists lead a carefree way of life, tied down by nothing. They can use myriad ways to create art and it doesn't have to be just painting. To be an artist is to transcend rationality, be part of the environment, and be single-minded about what he does. There are no fixated rules on how things should be done for an artist, because once he's started thinking about how something should be done, he is really imprisoning his creativity," said Ah Chung as he continued with a chuckle. "This is the goal I'm gravitating towards. I live life wholeheartedly and dedicate my attention to every single thing I do, be it singing or eating. It's like for this interview, I devote myself to it and I enjoy it."
As of now, Ah Chung's artistic creation has moved on from his 'Ah Chung' era to Yim Yee-king's oil paintings. "When painting under the penname 'Ah Chung' I was concerned about whether the meaning embedded in my paintings was comprehensible to my readers, or whether I had got all the words correct; the oil paintings, however, are something I do only for myself, from the bottom of my heart."
Such are Ah Chung's words of wisdom on making the best out of life, what are yours?
Special Thanks:
Yim Yee-king (Ah Chung), Hong Kong's renowned cartoon artist
