10 Questions with Wallace Woo
Wallace Woo is an artist from Hong Kong. He has been living in the world's famous fashion capital, Paris, for 11 years. He had a fashion makeup artist background. The fashion industry has given him many different opportunities over the years. The best part is that his work has opened many doors for him; unconsciously, it helped him open another gate as a Pouring Visuals Artist. Life is a journey; it brought him many new experiences, especially on a spiritual level. He also had a Vipassana meditation training when he was a teenager, which also impacted his creation.
Wallace Woo Portrait
ARTIST STATEMENT
Wallace Woo is an Acrylic pouring Visual artist. He loves to represent his through the shape of water his artworks. The liquid is very special, and it can blend various shapes, especially the natural flow and change of the water on the surface of the canvas. This is very straightforward and not pretentious. There is a topic that we must learn in our life: flexibility. Life is supposed to be simple. It is only us who make it complicated. Art is the same; as long as you learned how to appreciate, everything can be a valuable art piece.
CaCO3, Acrylic, 100x80x1.5 cm, 2021 © Wallace Woo
INTERVIEW
You come from a fashion background, and you later became an artist. What made you shift from fashion to art?
Fashion makes me feel tired sometimes, and a poker face doesn't seem to really match my personality. Sometimes I am also lazy when it comes to dressing up myself. Honestly, I don't mind just wearing flip-flops and walking on the Champs-Elysées. However, back to the fashion world, I have to respect and accept it because that's my job. If it's necessary to survive in the market, I have to follow the trends and keep nearing the fashion market, running a rush every day to catch the new things that come up. I am passive in that position.
I totally feel the difference to be an artist. Since painting is to show my own creation, personality, vision, experience, I am the lead in that part, I can show my feelings heroically. This is very egocentric and might sound a bit selfish, but it's quite true: actually, the goal inside the artist's mind is not about letting people follow, it is all about how to influence each other and let the artwork make connections to the people.
We all passed through a terrible year, 2020. Maybe it is a sign to let myself take a break at this moment. Staying back, keeping calm, and listening to my soul sincerely are what I'm supposed to achieve in my life. I don't want to be defined by my shift from fashion to art. Art can have a lot of different possibilities, and I would say we all live with it.
6 September Right, Acrylic, 100x80x1.5 cm, 2021 © Wallace Woo
6 September Left, Acrylic, 100x80x1.5 cm, 2021 © Wallace Woo
How much did your fashion and make-up background prepare you for the work as an artist? Do you find any similarities in these fields?
As an artist in fashion and makeup, you need to have a strong fashion sense, try to see things from different angles, jump out of the box, discover new things. These are the key points to surviving in this tricky industry. You better have your own aesthetics, it will be easier being in touch with fashion, and I believe that some talent is a gift. Starting from the first day in the makeup school in Lyon, France, I feel that I could specialize in working in the fashion field. I am also the only student in our class that is still living in Paris until now. Somehow I seem to keep fighting, and there is an enthusiasm that keeps me moving forward no matter how difficult is this cruel industry. If you don't keep on progressing, it's too easy to be eliminated. Otherwise, I would be trapped by this work mode for a long time. Especially when considering how other people think of me, I have some moments of struggling, but as time goes by and I get older, it doesn't really matter how people see me.
As an artist, I am supposed to create good works without concern, so I tried to learn how to release myself little by little. In my artworks, if you look at those from another angle, you may find the beauty of the influence in my experience of fashion! Undeniably, Paris is the only place in the world for the Haute-couture, and I was thankful that I had the chance to participate in it, no matter whether I worked backstage or sat in the front row to enjoy this luxury market. I kept learning from different positions, and I believe that this is the faster way to grow yourself by learning from the master. In the meantime, I absorbed all the beautiful things naturally and accumulated better aesthetics value. Apparently, Art is at the base of fashion, makeup, film etc. They all have a very strong relationship with beauty, and this is a way to pass the message of aesthetic values through different media. In order to pursue beauty, human beings do everything possible to create brand-new things to show unconventional beauty and challenge the social system.
You define yourself as a Pouring Visual artist. Tell us about this technique and how you use it.
I only pick up something that I really enjoy doing - The Pouring Art. I do remember the first time I discovered pouring art from one of my friends. I learned a lot from his amazing artwork by looking at the photos. Of course, he wouldn't tell me the secret behind his painting, and he couldn't even show me directly how he worked from his studio. After I started practicing it on my own, doing a lot of research on the internet, I realized it was not as easy as I thought. I have failed many times, nearly a year, just to find out my own formulas on how to mix with the "Mediums". I remember that I wasted a lot of materials for nothing at the beginning. But I kept going and trying, stuck in this status, until I found a solution. The medium mixture was too thick, hard to let itself move on the canvas. But when I tried to mix it with more water or pour it on the canvas, the liquid moved too fast, and it didn't stay on the surface. I do remember one time when I finished the painting at midnight, and I couldn't sleep. I set the alarm to wake up every hour and check if the image still stayed on the surface since those colors were moving nonstop before drying. Most of the time, I lost the lovely image that I really wanted to keep.
Little, Acrylic, 100x81x1 cm, 2021 © Wallace Woo
The tricky point is to play with pouring paint as it seems to have no plans. Even if I drew a sketch or picture in my head, once the liquid starts, I will try to follow where it goes, and they will give me a sign about what I have to do to help them develop better. Somehow, in the last collection I only used two colors, which is more difficult than using a lot of colors to create those images because pouring painting is about layering the colors. When the first layer breaks out, you can see the color on the second layer and so on. With black and white as the two only layers, the black color always drives me crazy to change their form silently.
I can say the pouring "Medium" mixture is the main key for fluid art. I promised myself I need to find my unique formula. There is no one that can teach me, I can only learn by myself, trying and trying again.
What about your colors? You only seem to use black, white, and gray. Do they have a specific meaning to you?
In the canvas's colors and images, I aim to show the struggles and complicated emotions I had for many years. I was totally lost for a while. When I started to create and look for a trend direction in the early days, I thought I was a person who liked color very much. However, I soon realized that this was not the case at all - and it may be related to my field of work and the fashion circle. People are all dressed up and show off, especially wearing colorful clothes and walking under the bright flashlights. I do like it based on my job, but at the same time, I am getting more and more tired of this work mode. I feel contradictions.
Maybe it recently changed for me. Looking back to the year 2020, we all passed the worst year! This situation forced me to take a break in this industry. I stayed calm and listened to my soul deeply to heal. In this period, I found my peace through the process of painting. Unfortunately, in the beginning, I did not appreciate the outcome of my artwork, even though the result was great. The main point was that I did not feel any connection with those paintings, no matter how many colors I poured on the surface of the canvas. That was not exactly what I was seeking. After I kept looping for paint and destroy, I gave up and restarted, but I was angry and joyful at the same time.
I sat down and cried, but suddenly my mind had a momentary flash with three words "Let it go". I guess what I needed was to keep everything as simple as possible. So I started to re-entered Vipassana meditation, that I learned when I was a teenager. It helped me heal little by little, and I could find out who I really am, what the truth was inside me. That's why I took out all the beautiful colors and only used Black and White and let them ooze the gray color on the canvas. I wish that can let people find their own peaceful pace and appease through my art when wandering and helpless. Interestingly, most of my friends, after seeing my paintings, were in shock! Not for the paintings themselves, but for the colors. They all asked me the same question: "Why Black & White, it seems not really your style". The truth was that I could be labeled as a colorful person based on my fashion job, but actually I am quite ZEN inside.
Tenacious, Acrylic, 100x80x1.5 cm, 2021 © Wallace Woo
The Moon, Acrylic, 25x18x1 cm, 2020 © Wallace Woo
What is the most challenging part of your work?
First of all, I don’t have any educational background in art; it is already a big challenge for me. Of course, to be an artist, you only focus on creating your painting until the day you die. It seems like most of the well-known painters in the past became famous after they died. But differently, nowadays, being an artist seems easier than before because we can promote ourselves through the internet. However, competition is also very strong. Being an artist is very contradictory. At the same time, you have to focus on your creation and marketing, self-promotion, especially for the young artists! Without enough support, it is really hard to survive in this market. Art is linking to money and hype.
Interestingly it is a big challenge. It may be the reason to force us to grow faster. The process is extremely painful, but be ready to face it. Luckily I live in Paris, the place for an artist. In fact, I am happy to learn from different artists through their exhibitions, it is the faster way to improve myself learning amongst the other masters, as well as by observing how the galleries do the marketing and promotion. If being famous I can easily spread all the happiness from my artwork, then I wish to be famous one day because it will be easier to share my thoughts and happiness through my artwork!
A key concept for your work is flexibility and liquidity as well. How do these concepts influence your work? And what do they represent to you?
I love to present my artwork through the shape of water. The liquid is very special, it can blend various shapes, especially the natural flow and the change of the water on the surface of the canvas. This is very straightforward and not pretentious, similar to my personality. That’s why I love pouring paint. As I mentioned, I was a fashion makeup artist, and I got the chance to meet different clients worldwide through my job. They can be a little influencer or superstars, but I always keep good behavior when face-to-face with all of them, no matter who they are. Unfortunately, the fashion world is so mean sometimes, and I do meet a lot of disgusting clients as well. They always turn you down to show their power and be on top of you.
I feel thankful that I had trained myself to have a healthy life discipline when I was a teenager. So whatever they were shouting at me, I still kept a smiling face to them and finished my job. That was my flexibility. Just like liquid could fit any shape. So I can feel deeply related to pouring art. I believe that there are things already arranged in our life, we just need a lesson to teach us how to be stronger. The good things will come at the right moment. This is my moment to bring my vision to the paintings, I enjoy every moment that I pour the color on the canvas, and at the same time, I see the colors enjoy the moment to develop themselves on the surface, and people enjoy my final artwork - everyone gets what they want peacefully.
Disappear, Acrylic, 100x80x1.5 cm, 2021 © Wallace Woo
La plume du danseur, Acrylic, 100x81x1 cm, 2021 © Wallace Woo
Upstream (Right), Acrylic, 100x81x1 cm, 2021 © Wallace Woo
Where do you find inspiration?
Once I feel peaceful, all the inspiration will come up direct to my brain. What I mean is not about drawing the sketch, but mostly it's a feeling. In the beginning, I just want to calm myself, and I know painting can bring me a peaceful environment. Painting without any pressure can always get good results. I guess that is the simple rule for artists, and I have no exception, the world is full of desire. How can people live without frustration?
There was a moment when I felt so bad and keep fighting for it. That was until I started to read some books about Zen's wisdom, which had a lot of impact on me. I have been affected by this since I was a teenager. This positive energy is always stored in my body, and I believe that destiny arranged the road for me to wait for a good moment and timing to do the right things. I am happy to paint, it's a precious tool for me to share a peaceful mind and positive thinking with the world. When my mind has this sort of environment, inspiration comes naturally and doesn't need any intention to catch it. So I let the liquids represent themself. They will give me a sign and my soul that will guide me to create those images.
Do you have an essential philosophy that guides you in your creative expression?
"Don't use your energy to worry, use your energy to believe!" that is my essential philosophy. I keep fighting for my life; I don't want to waste any moment, as time is priceless. No matter if I cry a lot for some reason during the fight, I never give up, even when I feel very upset. I will set a deadline for myself to stop the sadness. It is hard, but I force myself to face it. Time by time, I become stronger like no one else; I strongly believe that I am an optimistic person who was just born that way. The positive mind is like a shining star in the sky, which leads me and shows how to catch the chance.
Painting is one of the excellent tools for me to express my emotion through my creation. I catch the chance to paint even in the unusual years of 2020. It brought my mind back to calm to face the worst situation, and I believe a peaceful soul gives me a clever mind to guide my creative power and show different levels of peace. Imagine a person who is always sad. They will miss the chance when it passes because they always feel grief to bow down their heads. Everyone has the right to share their feeling through creative expression, but you should head up and take action.
The art of Living, Acrylic, 25x18x1 cm, 2020 © Wallace Woo
What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?
I am focusing on my creation. I keep painting for my next collection, and promoting my artwork until one day I will be famous and spread out my spiritual energy through my artwork. My dream is to open an art gallery in Paris, a sort of bridge to link the Asian artists and help them jump into the international market, helping myself or the young artists to follow their dream.
What was the art lesson you learned from last year's experience?
“The art of living” is to learn to live well, and it is also a kind of art. I believe last year was a significant lesson for millennials. We used to experience history through books or from the storytelling by our grandparents, and we could only imagine how tragic it was. But the Covid-19 war of 2020 was a real combat affecting everyone and the whole world came to a halt.
Looking back to my personal history, in 2003 Hong Kong had a bad time because of the SARS outbreak. That experience seemed enough to give me a chance to get ready to face the year 2020, but just no one could imagine the real impact of the problem. The Whole World stopped! All of a sudden, people could not see any future, and it destroyed our basic life. It seemed the end of the world; everyone was watching TV news at home all the time, people wanted freedom back, and at that moment, we all felt imprisoned at home. All the sadness, domestic violence, divorce problems came up to my ear from my friend’s friends. I know it is sad and the moment is bad, but I believe everything will turn good and recover little by little. The world needs some time to heal; people need some time to take a break, to learn how to focus on our breath to relax, and stop blaming. The pain will go away when we don’t pay attention to it. It is not easy, but the only way is to accept it; it takes time to practice and be ready to receive any conflict in the coming future because we all passed through a great lesson, we should have enough power to face any situation. The art of living is very simple, given that we still can breathe every morning when we wake up, we also need to appreciate everything around us and keep smiling.
