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Simon Yam converted from an actor to painting. After five years of self-study, he exhibited his works for the first time at ART TAIPEI in Taipei. He presented his creative concept of combining multi-media materials with “Dazzling 3025”.
hong kong Best Actor Simon Yam has won several Best Actor awards for his works such as “PTU”, “Underworld” and “Thief of Time”. Apart from acting, he also likes photography and painting. They have published photo albums and organized exhibitions. In recent years, he has devoted himself to painting creations, and in 2020 he set up a studio to teach himself various painting techniques. Now, nearly five years of creative results have been brought to Taiwan, and he participated in “ART TAIPEI Taipei Art Fair” for the first time, exhibiting a total of 3 oil paintings and 10 prints.
“ART TAIPEI TAIPEI ART FAIR” will be held from October 30 to November 2 at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall 1. Simon Yam’s works will be displayed at “Xuncai Art Center”. However, due to the temporary relocation of his filming schedule, he was unable to come to Taiwan in person. He nevertheless greeted the Taipei audience in advance: “Hello Taipei friends! Welcome to my ‘Dazzling 3025’. I hope you enjoy it.” He also said, “Thank you to the organizer for the invitation. This is my first time to hold an exhibition in Taipei. I am very happy to communicate with you all.”
Although Simon Yam has only officially devoted himself to painting in recent years, he admits that he “has never learned painting.” He said that he actually had a desire to create since he was a child, but in the early days he had limited time, so he could only put several absurd ideas in his mind and “store them in his 3025”. It was not until recent years that he gradually transformed his ideas into actions.
He also revealed that the “eyes” element often appears in his works. “The eyes are the windows of the soul. Looking at my actions allows us to communicate with our hearts.” For him, painting is not a simple interest, but another way of seeing the world and communicating with people.
Simon Yam has also been interested in photography for many years. In the early 1970s, he frequently traveled around the world with his camera and accumulated many works. In addition to publishing photography books, he also organized photography exhibitions. He described photography and painting as complementing each other, “Photography is my eyes to see the world, and painting is my way of showing the world to you.” In recent years, he has also held photography and painting art exhibitions in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Paris, and published photography collections such as “Hong Kong. Other Landscapes” and “The Essence of Existence: The Journey of Life and Art”.
The works displayed this time use new media techniques to superimpose oil paintings and then integrate them into traditional ink. Through the collision and blending of different media, they create unknown visual effects. For Simon Yam, the “3025” in “Dazzling 3025” could represent the future, parallel worlds, and even outer space. “All are possible and full of unknowns.”
Asked how he allocates time between acting, family and painting, Simon Yam, who has done about 3 to 4 film and television works a year in recent years, said: “Being with my family is the most important, followed by work, which adds inspiration and strength to my creation. Painting is the time the sponge needs to squeeze out.” His wife Qiqi and their 22-year-old daughter are always the first viewers of his work. The opinion of his family is very important to him. “They will give me feedback from different perspectives and their own feelings after seeing the works, which will also become my new inspiration.”
Over the past two years, under the guidance of his daughter, Simon Yam also learned to use the iPad for drawing, making his creative content more diverse. He laughingly said that his family has always supported and encouraged him, and also made him realize that watching the same work in different moods can evoke completely different emotions.
As for whether there is a certain process when painting, Simon Yam revealed that he is very involved when creating. He would imagine being in nature, “a lone smoke in the desert or vast plains or a forest in light rain, etc”, and he would put himself into the state with ambient music, and finally “bring himself back to reality” with a cup of coffee.
It is rumored that he can complete a painting in 15 minutes. Simon Yam explained with a smile: “Sometimes 15 minutes is enough, but often it takes even 15 minutes.” He told that the composition is not completed at one time, but gradually accumulates through inspiration and improvement. “During the painting process, you must keep thinking and constantly correct yourself.” Although he cannot come to Taiwan in person this time, his “Dazzling 3025” will still meet the Taipei audience through his painting.
Summary FAQ
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He brought a total of 13 works from Xuncai Art Center, including 3 oil paintings and 10 prints. With the theme of “Dazzling 3025”, he shared the creative results of the past five years with the audience for the first time in Taipei.
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He admitted that he had never formally studied painting in the past and had only had a desire to create since he was a child. Due to lack of time in his initial years, many thoughts remained in his mind. Only in recent years has he relied on self-study and practice in the studio to gradually transform his inspirations into works.
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Simon Yam often uses “eyes” as an element in his works and blends oil painting, printmaking, ink painting and new media techniques. He also relies on visualizing music, nature and a cup of coffee and repeating this over and over in different moods to enter the state.
