About the artist:
Erique Chong was born (1997) and raised in Malaysia. He is currently attending National Taiwan University of Arts to pursue his animation degree. He is not only an animation student but also a freelance graphic designer, illustrator and enthusiastic hiker. He has been part of some projects working with filmmaking company, New Taipei City government and other organizations. He started drawing when he was 14, but never studied art until attending university in Taiwan. Back then, he was a science student and practiced his drawing by himself. He likes challenges and he started his own personal project FoToon, One-year-project and other personal projects that take weeks, months or years to complete. He likes to hear how different people think and people’s thoughts on the same subject that is why he doesn’t have a description under his illustrations most of the time. However, there is a meaning behind it and to find out, you have to ask him secretly. The reason he doesn’t want to put a description under his works or tell people about his work at the very first place because that will make people think less and that’s purging our creativity and guts to think wild. Currently, Erique chooses to focus more on his animation studies and upcoming graduation film project. At the same time, also he will try to bring his brand, Erique-KiddoArt, into a new level and trying different medias and create his artwork.

藝術家介紹：
張榮順出生在馬來西亞於1997年。現在，他正於國立臺灣藝術大學就讀多媒體動畫藝術學系。他不只是個動畫生，也是業餘的平面設計師，插畫家和爬山健行客！他曾參與和電影公司，新北市政府等等其他組織的合作案。他 14 歲就開始自學繪畫，而在還沒有來臺灣讀大學前他是一名理科學生。他很喜歡挑戰，於是就開始給自己很多的個人系列作品概念作爲挑戰，比如 ： Fotoon, 一年個人計劃 等等的個人系列作品。這些個人系列作品都需要少則幾個星期，多則一兩年來完成。他很喜歡聽不同人針對同一件事情的不同看法，這也造成他很少會在作品底下放置作品的簡介。當然，每一幅作品的背後都有自己的故事和歷史，如果想知道作品背後的意義就必須得透過作者本人解釋。這並不是沒有原因，因爲如果有了作品簡介，很容易框住觀衆的想象力，想法和觀點。 他現在主要的重心是在自己的課業和不遠的畢業製作。同時，他也很努力地想要把自己建立起來的 Erique-KiddoArt 帶到另一個境界，發揚光大並且開始嘗試不同的作畫媒介。

Artist Statement:
I think of my illustrations as a reflection of my emotions, life and things I have observed. Eventually, there is always one main core in most of my drawings which is to remind myself to think like a kid sometimes. I always think keeping a room for our inner child is really important even though we’re no more longer a kid, that is why most of my illustrations are engaged with the “kiddo” element. Besides that, I also love to give myself some challenges, that is why i have a FoToon series with 102 pieces of collaboration works with photographers and some series of works that took at least a month or a year.

I use art as a media and a way to make friends, to tell my story, to describe my feeling or what I have observed and also to tell and develop a message to the audience. Last but not least, not just a way to remind myself to think as a kid but also trying to encourage the people to think as a kid, too. To make people get inspired, happy and smile is one of the reasons i make art.

I call myself as an observer, and I love to listen people talk and share their thoughts. Which is why I don’t tell people what’s the meaning behind my drawings very first unless they want to know. Because telling people what you’re drawing in the first place will limit their imagination and thinking. I love to hear different perspectives and voices because it’s really fun and tricky to observe how each different brain works, that’s what makes people unique and adorable!

Some of my works are made from digital media and some of them are made from traditional media like ink and ball pen. Since I wasn’t born in a very rich family, I often think that investing acrylics and watercolors on me is a huge waste. However, I know colours are important in art, so i decided to self learn digital painting with using colours. On the other side, I really love using ball pen to make arts, because every line you drew with ball pen creates different texture. I believe these details make an artwork more attractive and watch-able.

I am still on the “discovery” era in this field. Sometimes I think i know what i’m doing and sometimes I don’t. Everything is possible and everything can be happened in this period so I am pretty much open-minded to every possibilities. Of course, eventually my goal is to build my own illustration brand and push my brand to worldwide, serve the people with my illustrations and make their day!

我覺得我大部分的作品都反映了自己當時的情緒，生活和自己觀察到的人事物。但是，全部的作品都有一個核心，就是提醒自己有時候必須像個小孩。我一直都認爲，內心的小孩很重要，即使我們不再是小孩。這就是我爲何在大部分的作品想要加入“兒童”“童趣”的元素。此外，我也很喜歡給自己一些挑戰，這也造就了目前擁有102張作品的 FoToon系列作品 的誕生和其他個人系列作品。

我利用插畫作爲一個傳達訊息的媒介。這些訊息是我想要傳達的訊息，我當時的心境，心情或者是當時候所觀察到以及有所感觸的一切。當然，最重要的還是提醒自己想象力必須想個小孩，也想要鼓勵大家如此。讓人受到啓發，開心和快樂是我作畫的主要原因，也是唯一的精神支柱。

我自認爲自己是個觀察家，我也很喜歡他人分享他們的想法。這也是我爲什麼我不在一開始就告訴別人作品的含義除非他們真的很想知道。因爲一旦告訴他人作品的背後意義等等訊息後，這一些訊息就會變成約束他們想象力的罪魁禍首。我很喜歡聽不同角度的聲音因爲我覺得針對同一件事物會有不用的想法和看法是一件很有趣的事情，這也是爲什麼我們人類很特別的原因。

我部分的作品是電子繪圖作品和傳統媒材作品像是圓珠筆，代針筆等等。因爲自己並不是出生在一個富裕的家庭，一直都認爲這一些水彩，壓克力顏料等等都很昂貴，加上自己並不是本科生所以不是一個好的投資甚至是一種浪費。即使如此，我認爲顏色很重要，所以就開始自學電腦繪圖並且透過電腦繪圖的方便性來學習顏色的應用。此外，我非常喜歡用代針筆和圓珠筆作畫，特別是圓珠筆的每一筆都是一種觸感和紋路。而這些細小到不會被人注意的細節是作品隱藏的魅力。

我現在還在尋找自己在這一條路的定位的階段。有時候我知道自己在幹嘛，有時候卻不知道。所以在這個階段，任何事情都可能有變數，所以現階段的我保持開放的態度迎接。當然，最終的目標還是把自己建立的品牌推廣到全球，把自己好的作品發揚光大服務大家！

| 藝術對畫 Visual Dialogues 28

Opening January 6th, 2019 4-6pm
Show runs from December 9th, 2018 – January 19th, 2019