Jointly published by Join Publishing (H.K.) Co., Ltd and local magazine NEW GEN. Monthly, with publishing funds partly provided by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, local Macao artist Eric Fok's new book, Paradise: When Antique Maps Meet Modern Cities, was launched last year and is now on sale in Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Published in Chinese and English, with a first print of 1,400 copies, the new book features 60 selected pieces from over 200 pieces in Eric's Paradise series, that he has been working on since 2012. Included in the book is a print of his first-sale Paradise No.15; Paradise No.11 and No.16 which were selected for the 50th Bologna Illustrators Exhibition; the awarded piece Paradise No.20 of the Portuguese Orient Foundation; and the work Heung San O Lee Ba which he specially created for the 5th Macau Literary Festival based on the Festival's theme: "Tang Xianzu in Macao".
Though only 27 years old, local artist Eric Fok has managed to establish his own unique, distinctive style in the five short years he has focused on artistic creation – adopting retro imagery to showcase modern problems and envisaging a whole new universe in his delicate paintings. Eric has incorporated the style of ancient western maps from the 16th and 17th centuries using drawing paper dyed to look old to express his own observations on current social problems, developments and changes to the city around him.
His drawings are usually small in size but distinctly elegant. Using needle lines, he delves into his own imagination and fantasies and combines them with his knowledge of history alongside careful observation of cityscapes to depict a world full of magical realism.
Born in 1990, Eric graduated studied at Macao Polytechnic Institute where in 2012 started experimentally painting in ancient map style. He subsequently developed his acclaimed Paradise series, among which Paradise No.11 and No.16 were selected for the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition known as the "Oscars for Illustrators."
Eric has been using ancient western map styles to discuss the problems and issues that come along with the development of modern cities. On specially made brown drawing paper, Eric uses needle lines to depict the past and present of Macao, as well as some other post-colonial cities like Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei.
Like many local schools, Eric's school didn't really teach Macao history. His own interest in Macao's history was trigged in 2012, when the gaming industry was booming and Cotai was full of construction sites. On one occasion Eric found an old map of Macao, and noticed the coastline had changed a lot. It was quite a shock to him. Therefore, with many questions, he started to read relevant books, watch films, and go to libraries; he even tried reading Portuguese references, in order to search for the past of Macao.
"The city has been decaying and developing in turns; to review its history is also a rethink," says Eric.
Eric then started to draw his own observations and thoughts about the city. Some of his works show an old map of Macao occupied by crowded casino shuttle buses, big casino buildings standing in the center of the city two or three hundred years ago, a group of early Portuguese explorers from 1513 chasing after a taxi refusing to take passengers, or trying to get on a crowded bus…
In his Paradise series, Eric not only draws about Macao, but also of some European cities from the Age of Discovery and other post-colonial cities. In doing so, the artist hopes to find some answers to his questions about Macao, and to understand the development of other cities.
Also featured in his new book is a scroll named Paradise: Hong Kong. In this painting, Eric depicts when British merchant ships landed in Hong Kong over a hundred years ago, together with the present-day modern buildings alongside the Victoria Harbour. And if you look closely, you can see many tents on the bridge with journalists taking photos - a familiar scene of the protest movement that happened to the city two years ago.
"An old gentleman once told me that an artist should be an observer of the times," he explains, "Different people may have different observations, but the difference should be something you are particularly sensitive about – by the time you draw it the era could be over.
"I was looking for solutions when I started to draw. I read each city's developing stories; some teach you about the experiences, some teach you lessons. However, gradually I realized not everything is that simple and easy to change, especially when you do care about the city," Eric comments emotionally.
"I don't deliberately plan to be a recorder of the times, but in the moment where there are things happening and integrated within my creative impulse, I'll follow the trend. I cannot say that's the artist's responsibility, but I hope I can do it, though I'm not sure yet about the results. Only time will tell."
