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新一期季刊經已登場

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Dominique Fung, a Canadian artist with Hong Kong and Shanghai roots, unveils a captivating exploration of history, myth, and memory in her first Hong Kong solo exhibition, Beneath the Golden Canopy. Centering on the polarizing Empress Dowager Cixi, Dominique's paintings and artifacts delve into power, femininity, and the fluidity of historical narratives. Shaped by her diasporic identity and reflections on colonial storytelling, Dominique's work challenges viewers to question the myths and omissions behind inherited stories. In this exclusive Q&amp;A with JESSICA, Dominique reveals the inspirations behind her layered reimagining of the past.<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/Profile_Picture_b72f8dd962.jpeg" alt="Profile Picture.jpeg"></figure>Q: Your exhibition, Beneath the Golden Canopy, centers on Empress Dowager Cixi, a polarizing historical figure. What inspired you to focus this exhibition on her story, and how did your personal experiences—such as childhood memories of period dramas, your diasporic identity, and reflections on colonial narratives—shape your portrayal of her?A: Empress Dowager Cixi has always fascinated me. Growing up watching period dramas, she was either a ruthless villain or a tragic figure - rarely anything in between. That binary way of seeing power stuck with me. Being part of the diaspora also made me more aware of how history is framed, whose stories get flattened or reshaped to fit a narrative. With this show, I wanted to give her space to exist in all her contradictions - to be both mythical and human, feared and revered - while exploring how her story has been warped, retold, and reconstructed over time.Q: &nbsp;In The She Dragon, The Fragile Phoenix, and The Limping Dragon, you use vivid color for the empresses while the emperor appears in monochrome. What inspired this visual distinction, and how does it reflect your perspective on historical power dynamics?A: In The She Dragon, The Fragile Phoenix, and The Limping Dragon, Emperor Xianfeng is drained of color, fading into a monochrome wash, while the empresses radiate in rich, layered hues. It’s a reversal of how power is traditionally portrayed - emperors are often seen as these solid, immovable forces in history, while women are depicted as ornamental, secondary. But in reality, figures like Cixi were constantly shifting, adapting, outmaneuvering the structures designed to contain them. The color in my paintings reflects that - it’s dynamic, alive, in flux. The emperor, by contrast, is stagnant, a ghost of authority rather than an active force.<img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/MASSIMODECARLO_DOMINIQUE_FUNG_202503_003_fcdfe1b157.jpg" alt="MASSIMODECARLO_DOMINIQUE_FUNG_202503-003.jpg">Q: You’ve included artifacts like a carpet from Cixi’s court and a series of 20th-century jewelry boxes in the exhibition. How do these objects enhance the storytelling in your paintings, and what do they reveal about your exploration of history and womanhood? A: I wanted something of hers in the room - something that had literally been beneath her feet. The carpet from Cixi’s court isn’t just decor, it’s a witness. While the jewerly boxes, often dismissed as frivolous or feminine, actually carry entire histories - of trade, of intimacy. They hold the personal within the political, the delicate within the powerful. To me, they’re reminders that history isn’t just in grand palaces and official records, it’s in the things we touch, the things we keep, the things that outlive us.<img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/MASSIMODECARLO_DOMINIQUE_FUNG_202503_007_810f473b14.jpg" alt="MASSIMODECARLO_DOMINIQUE_FUNG_202503-007.jpg">Q: Your work blends historical references with fantastical elements, such as fish soldiers and crumbling architecture. How do you balance fact and fiction in your work, and what role does this interplay serve in challenging traditional narratives?A: For me, fact and fiction aren’t opposites - they’re tangled up in each other. History isn’t this neat, objective record; it’s full of contradictions, omissions, and reinterpretations, often shaped by whoever holds the pen. By blending in fantastical elements, I’m not inventing a new version of the past - I’m exposing its gaps, the places where the record frays or falters. Fantasy, in that sense, becomes a tool to challenge what we think we know, to remind us that history is always up for questioning.Q: The lighting in your paintings draws inspiration from Dutch masters like Vermeer and Rembrandt, using candlelight and shadow to guide the viewer. How do you decide which elements to illuminate or conceal, and what effect do you hope this has on how people interpret your art?A: Light is a guide - it tells the viewer where to look. I love the way painters like Vermeer and Rembrandt used light not just to illuminate, but to create a sense of mystery. Shadows hold just as much meaning as the things we see clearly.<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/MASSIMODECARLO_DOMINIQUE_FUNG_202503_001_41308fa75e.jpg" alt="MASSIMODECARLO_DOMINIQUE_FUNG_202503-001.jpg"></figure>Q: Your palette has evolved from Tang dynasty ceramics to weathered, earthy tones. What does this shift signify for you, and how does it connect to your exploration of history’s erosion, reinterpretation and transformation?A: I started out painting with the glazes of Tang Dynasty funerary objects in mind, those rich, glossy surfaces frozen in time. But the more I painted, the more my palette started shifting on its own. I became drawn to the way things age - how objects buried in the earth or lost to the sea take on these beautifully unpredictable patinas. Colors wear down, get murky, oxidize. So, over time, my work started picking up these rusty ambers, moody grays, deep greens - tones that feel like they’ve lived through something. It wasn’t intentional at first, but looking back, it makes sense. I’m not interested in history as something fixed - I like how it erodes, transforms, gets retold. The colors started following that same logic.<img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/MASSIMODECARLO_DOMINIQUE_FUNG_202503_009_6118dff020.jpg" alt="MASSIMODECARLO_DOMINIQUE_FUNG_202503-009.jpg">Q: You’ve said your work doesn’t aim to reconstruct Cixi’s world but to grapple with its myths, omissions and shifting interpretations. What do you hope viewers take away from peering “behind the golden curtain” of your paintings?A: I hope that viewers leave with more questions than answers. My work isn’t about reconstructing the world of Cixi in any definitive way - it’s about exploring the myths, omissions, and evolving interpretations that have shaped her story. I hope people will leave with a sense of how history is always in flux, how it’s shaped by those who have the power to tell it - and how, sometimes, the most interesting stories are the ones that remain obscured, just out of reach.Event Details Venue: MASSIMODECARLO, Shop 03-205A &amp; 205B &amp; 206, Second Floor, Barrack Block, Tai Kwun, No. 10 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong Date: March 24, 2025, to May 16, 2025For more information, contact the press office at <a href="mailto:press@massimodecarlo.com">press@massimodecarlo.com</a> or visit <a href="www.massimodecarlo.com">www.massimodecarlo.com</a>.&nbsp;

Caroline Tam

English Editor 

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Q & A with Dominique Fung: Beneath the Golden Canopy

I had the privilege earlier this month to be invited to an art exhibition of this year’s IB graduating year group at my alma mater. The theme was identity.I had no expectations. I was curious about the art curriculum because art was a subject I never had the chance to pursue after lower secondary, having focused heavily on the sciences. In some ways, I think I wanted to relive some of my adolescent years through seeing their creations.<img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/IMG_2514_2_daee54d5a2.jpg" alt="IMG_2514 2.jpg">First and foremost, the quality and standard of the artwork were absolutely top-class—how I wish I had pursued my “talents” in art. (Truly, I think I did have some talent as a teenager.)But what really struck me was how each student had opened up their hearts and delved deep to discover their own true identity. One shared her inner struggle between leaving behind what feels safe—the known secondary school environment, the family home—and moving on as an individual to venture into unknown waters as a young adult. Another had embraced her Chinese cultural values as the foundation of her identity, creating stunning Chinese-inspired tailored pieces that reflected her childhood memories and deep bond with her mother.<img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/IMG_2511_2_3fc6229cb4.jpg" alt="IMG_2511 2.jpg">As I read their narratives, I could not help but swallow the tears welling up in my eyes. In truth, at age 17 or 18, you believe that the world is your oyster, and that once you leave school, you will somehow, miraculously, find your true self.This path of self-discovery is one that continues well beyond our twenties, thirties, even forties. It was only during the bleak COVID years that I realised what my true calling and passion in life were. For me to be truly happy, I had to embrace that I was different, and that the path I had chosen was true to myself.I guess what I am trying to say is, I love that these girls are following their dreams. &nbsp;This is what JESSICA is about: empowering young people, inspiring young women to persevere, pursue their passions, and make a positive impact to the world we live in.Thank you, Mengyang, for inspiring me.<img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/IMG_2513_2_68e7062ade.jpg" alt="IMG_2513 2.jpg">

Jessica Ng

Founder

April Reflections: Unveiling Identity Through Art

Alice Walton has once again claimed the crown as the world’s richest woman, according to Forbes’ 2025 World's Billionaires List. With an estimated fortune of $101 billion, the Walmart heiress has overtaken L'Oréal’s Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, who held the spot since 2021. This shift—the first in five years—marks Walton’s entry into the exclusive "$100 Billion Club,” highlighting not only her financial ascent, but her dual legacy as a philanthropist and cultural leader.<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/1711751267015_6e1701c687.jpeg" alt="1711751267015.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo courtesy of the Alice L. Walton Foundation</figcaption></figure>A Retail Empire Fuels a Historic Rise As the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, Alice has inherited her share of the retail giant that reshaped shoppindeg habits worldwide. Her wealth soared by $28.7 billion in the past year, driven by a 40% surge in Walmart’s stock due to its affordability amid inflationary pressures. Her estimated 11% stake now places her among just 15 centibillionaires worldwide, a milestone reached by Bettencourt Meyers in 2024. At 75, Walton trails her brothers Rob ($110 billion) and Jim ($109 billion) on the global list but stands apart by leveraging her wealth into art, education, and healthcare.From Finance to a Cultural Legacy Unlike her siblings, who maintain close ties to Walmart’s corporate operations, Alice forged her own path early in life. After graduating with an economics degree from Trinity University, she briefly worked at Walmart before pursuing a career as a stockbroker in New Orleans. In the 1980s, she returned to Bentonville, Arkansas, where she managed investments at the family’s Arvest Bank and later founding Llama, a $19.5 million lending and brokerage firm. When Llama closed in 1998, Walton pivoted to her true passion: art.Her most enduring legacy is the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Founded in 2011, the museum sits on 120 acres donated by the Walton family. Featuring works by masters like Andy Warhol and Georgia O’Keeffe, the $1.6 billion museum—funded largely through trusts honoring her late brother John and mother Helen—offers free admission to all. Under Walton’s leadership, the museum expanded its reach with The Momentary in 2020, a contemporary arts venue, and plans a major addition for 2026, cementing Alice’s vision of creating a hub for creativity and learning.<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/45_35e436123b.jpg" alt="45.jpg"><figcaption>Photo courtesy of the Alice L. Walton Foundation</figcaption></figure>Philanthropy with Purpose Alice’s impact extends far beyond galleries. Over the past decade, she has donated over $5.8 billion in the last decade to various charitable foundations, including the Walton Family Foundation and her own Art Bridges Foundation. These organizations support initiatives ranging from education reform and environmental conservation to expanding access to American art across rural and underserved communities.Her boldest move yet is the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, slated to open in July 2025 in Bentonville. Backed by a $249 million gift, it aims to blend arts, humanities, and whole-health principles, training doctors to treat patients holistically—a concept born from her own artistic journey.Her commitment to wellness extends further through the Heartland Whole Health Institute, which advocates for innovative healthcare solutions rooted in patient-centered care. Both institutions will soon occupy state-of-the-art facilities connected via trails to Crystal Bridges in a tangible connection of art, nature, and well-being.<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/about_card_40fb316da0.png" alt="about-card.png"><figcaption>Photo courtesy of the Alice L. Walton Foundation</figcaption></figure>A Lasting Mark Alice’s visionary efforts have earned her numerous accolades, including the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art Medal and a spot on TIME’s 2012 most influential list. But her real legacy lies in her unwavering dedication to improving lives: fostering education, boosting Northwest Arkansas’ economy, and championing diversity in the arts. As the world celebrates her return to the top, Alice Walton proves wealth is just a tool—what matters is how it’s wielded.

Walmart Heiress Alice Walton Reclaims Title as World's Richest Woman

As of tomorrow, Jaffa Lam is no longer the academic head of Hong Kong Art School (HKAS). It's a place she's called home for the last 24 years, where she began as a part-time technician at the sculpture studio. She taught her final class last Thursday.In the same week, she made appearances at Art Central and Art Basel 2025, where her Mobile Wisdom was on display – a rainbow coloured bookshelf-cum-hammock made of recycled umbrella. Last weekend, she traveled to her exhibition in Shenzhen – her first solo museum show in over a decade featuring a handful of her residency projects from the last two decades.&nbsp;While colleagues lament her departure, Jaffa is eager to resume her role solely as an artist, free to continue her life-long mission of making art with marginal groups and free from the corporate duties that rewarded her with a stable salary to support her late mother's hefty medical bills. Ambitiously, she also wanted to throw herself into the deep end and see if her cross-disciplinary sculptures would sink or float in a city where they are scantily collected or understood.<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/20221012_A_Xjaffa12359_b616881fd1.jpg" alt="20221012AXjaffa12359.jpg"><figcaption>Jaffa’s ”Chasing an Elusive Nature” in 2022 at Axel Vervoordt Gallery in Hong Kong. Photo courtesy of Jaffa Lam</figcaption></figure>At 52 years old, Jaffa is still a rebel and dare-devil at heart.Though Jaffa's name is no stranger amongst corporations, museums, exhibitions, art festivals and artist residencies from Denmark to France, Germany to Japan, she only sold her first gallery piece at the age of 49 in a group show at Axel Vervoordt – serendipitously a year before she'd vow to "burn all the art pieces" and likely give up her art career had they remained unappreciated, collecting dust in her studio in Fo Tan."I wanted to burn them all in front of the Hong Kong Museum of Art because they never take my work," she laughs, half-jokingly.<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/20221012_A_Xjaffa12402_7acaf1b5c3.jpg" alt="20221012AXjaffa12402.jpg"><figcaption>Jaffa’s ”Chasing an Elusive Nature” in 2022 at Axel Vervoordt Gallery in Hong Kong. Photo courtesy of Jaffa Lam</figcaption></figure>The positive response from the group show saw a solo exhibition, also at the Wong Chuk Hang-based gallery, in 2022. Amidst her signature pieces made from upcycled wood and transformed industrial waste, Jaffa deliberately kept a gallery wall riddled with marks where "really expensive paintings" previously hung. After the exhibition, she pleaded to remove and include the wall as a part of the collection. Understandably, the staff brushed her off: what was she thinking?Then, gallery director Boris Vervoordt visited: he looked at the wall, toyed with her outrageous request for a few minutes and, much to the staff's surprise, said yes. The wall currently sits in Axel Vervoordt's archives while a work from the show – A Piece of Good Water III – found its home in M+ museum."What can I say, I am a rebel: I like to challenge people and institutions," says Jaffa.Such clout to go against the tides is the undercurrent of Jaffa's life. It peeled her away from her study of Chinese calligraphy and painting during her Bachelor of Arts, after a senior had told her she must learn under a master's tutelage for three decades before she could make a name for herself. Impatient, she shifted to Chinese rubbings, and, in the process of making its slabs, contemporary art.<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/jaffalam_1691167155_3162061744933816920_1592519221_e82c00ccff.jpg" alt="jaffalam_1691167155_3162061744933816920_1592519221.jpg"><figcaption>Photo from Instagram @jaffalam</figcaption></figure>The Bet that Changed Her Life One night after she landed in New York for what was a predominantly research trip in 2007 – seven years after attaining her Master of Fine Arts and Postgraduate Diploma in Education at the Chinese University of Hong Kong – she found respite at a Fujianese restaurant that served food from the region where she called home prior to the age of 12. Feeling nostalgic, she struck up a conversation with the owner, who couldn't fathom the possibility of a petite lady from his hometown as a successful artist."'People from Fujian don't become artists', he said," recalls Jaffa. "He'd believe me only if I showed in Chelsea (New York's art hub and home of the Gagosian Gallery)."She won the bet in just five months' time; and as a thank-you gift for the owner's motivation, she custom-made a few pieces for the restaurant. One of the most notable was a lit-up neon sign that read "we cook art here". Though the Chinese restaurant is now a cafe and the owner is long gone, the experience bookended her search for the kind of artist she had wanted to be: one that doesn't just work for communities, but with them to make art that bears meaning and connection &nbsp;– elements she, till this day, still value much more than pocketing big bucks.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/cookart01_7ddba21d74.jpg" alt="cookart01.jpg"><figcaption>Jaffa’s gift to a Fujianese restaurant after making a bet with the owner. Photo courtesy of Jaffa Lam</figcaption></figure>Such was her groundbreaking debut in Art Basel 2023's Encounters section – a 14-metre canopy of recycled umbrella fabric that's anchored onto six sculptures of industrial trolleys-cum-chairs. Titled Trolley Party, the piece was done in partnership with the craftswomen of the Hong Kong Women's Workers Association and highlights themes of unseen labour, identity and collectiveness of the city.The new-found spotlight pleased Jaffa, but not as much as seeing the children of the craftswomen playing under the mammoth piece that their mothers helped to create.<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/ABHK_23_EN_2_Axel1721_Kitmin_Lee_978aad3b0e.jpg" alt="ABHK23-EN2-Axel1721KitminLee.jpg"><figcaption>Jaffa’s “Trolley Party” at Art Basel 2023. Photo courtesy of Jaffa Lam</figcaption></figure>Admittedly, her motivation to work with varied communities stems from her trying childhood. After leaving a home of natural beauty in Fujian for Hong Kong in 1985, she and her family of four lived in an illegal structure on a rooftop in Kwun Tong's industrial area, where crime and discrimination were routine amongst new immigrants struggling with Cantonese. She was bullied in school and her parents were almost always working. To contribute, she took a cash-in-hand job at a garment factory, where she cut loose threads off the finished clothing, sometimes earning less than HK$1 per dozen pieces. Since she was underaged, she was shooed to hide whenever officers from the labour department came to conduct checks."The discrimination really hit me," says Jaffa. "Making art with these communities and seeing the women and the children realize their success at an event they'd otherwise never attend really helped release my anger and trauma."&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/IMG_9634_1e9c8c0650.jpg" alt="IMG_9634.jpg"><figcaption>Jaffa’s “Seek Your Mountain” installation in Fujiyoshida city, Japan. Photo courtesy of Jaffa Lam</figcaption></figure>Despite her success, she still laments the limited power of artists in society without the money to spread their messages. While she's fortunate the galleries she's worked with aren't hooked on sales figures, she's not naive to the challenges of selling and understanding sizable sculptures in Hong Kong; but she's here to make the fight, free from the financial stability she's enjoyed for the past 24 years."People think I'm leaving HKAS because I've earned enough money, but that's far from the case. I want to test myself and the market: I've given myself a five-year timeline since selling my first piece in 2022, so we'll see."

Joyce Yip

Artist for the People: Jaffa Lam

Sophia Hotung exists in the spaces between.From a young age, she has straddled two worlds; neither fully Asian nor entirely white, she self-identifies as a Eurasian “egg”—white on the outside, yellow on the inside. Living with chronic illness, she often feels “not disabled enough” to receive accommodations, yet too unwell enough to conform to society’s expectations of productivity. This duality permeates geographically, as Sophia splits her time between Hong Kong—a city layered with memories and meaning—and San Francisco, a city slippery with unfamiliarity but ripe with opportunity.Sophia’s identity defies categorization—much like her hometown of Hong Kong, where modern skyscrapers rise against centuries-old traditions, creating a city fractured between past and present. This constant negotiation of identities has shaped not only who Sophia is, but also how she views the world. Through her collection The Hong Konger, which reimagines The New Yorker magazine covers, Sophia transforms stories of belonging, resilience, and identity into vibrant works of art. Behind every piece lies a deeply personal narrative about grappling with chronic illness, defying societal expectations, and embracing her multifaceted heritage. For Sophia, art is beyond expression; it is a bridge that connects her inner world to the broader human experience.A Eurasian Perspective: Navigating Dual Identities Born into the storied Hotung family—a name synonymous with Hong Kong’s history—Sophia sees herself as an egg: “White on the outside, yellow on the inside.” Growing up in a multicultural household, she never felt fully Chinese nor entirely Western, creating a sense of duality that has shaped her understanding of what it means to be a Hong Konger.“I didn't realize that I looked white to people outside of my family until I was about 13 years old,” Sophia explains. “I went abroad, and no one believed I was from Hong Kong…It’s very weird when who you think you are as a person doesn't line up with what the entire world thinks you are.” For years, she navigated this liminal existence, feeling like an outsider everywhere she went. In England, despite blending in physically, she struggled to connect culturally; in America, she bonded with other diasporic Asians over shared experiences of displacement.After spending years grappling with her identity, Sophia has chosen to adopt a philosophy centered on connection rather than universal appeal. “At the end of the day, I just need one person to buy it—if this artwork reflects a memory or an experience or a facet of someone's identity, whether they feel like an outsider or insider, that's fine,” she says. “I don’t need to appeal to everyone.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/signal_2025_03_24_125128_007_26a3bbd544.jpeg" alt="signal-2025-03-24-125128_007.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo courtesy of Sophia Hotung</figcaption></figure>From Tech Analyst to Full-Time Artist: An Unexpected Pivot Prior to becoming an artist, Sophia worked as a tech analyst—a career path that feels worlds apart from her current life. She labels the transition an “accident”: an unplanned career change thrust upon her by unforeseen circumstances. Diagnosed with autoimmune diseases at 16, Sophia spent years battling undiagnosed symptoms while pushing herself academically and professionally. By 26, she found herself bedridden and unemployed, grappling with several chronic illnesses.“I felt like I couldn't do anything anymore, and it made me very frustrated,” she admits. “It made me feel very creatively unable to express myself.” During this dark period, she received an iPad as a gift for Christmas. Initially intended as a distraction, it became a lifeline. Using Procreate, Sophia taught herself to draw, starting with simple sketches and gradually developing her signature style.Sophia’s idea to reimagine The New Yorker covers to reflect Hong Kong’s quirks and complexities dates back to her university days. “The idea was quite old. One of the things I've always done is keep an idea log—if I ever have an idea for something, I put it in the book,” she explains. “And so that went in the book, and eventually I drew it.”One early piece featured a girl staring at a lavish Chinese banquet, her mind conjuring a McDonald’s Happy Meal instead. The image humorously captured Sophia’s experience with celiac disease, which isolates her from cultural staples like dim sum and soy sauce-laden dishes. “Eating is such a huge part of Chinese culture, so it makes me feel frustrated,” she explains. “That feeling of looking out on a huge banquet of abalone and not being able to eat it was in my mind when I created that.”What started as a creative outlet during illness evolved into a full-fledged career. As Sophia continued experimenting with digital art, her reinterpretations of The New Yorker covers gained traction online. Encouraged by the response, Sophia eventually applied to her first art fair, took on commissions, and published her first book.“I think I was faking it till I made it so much that I can't actually remember when I felt like I made it,” she explains. “By the time I had a contract with a gallery and a commission split and money coming in from art sales, I thought, ‘That means I'm a working artist, so I guess that's my job.’”<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/signal_2025_03_24_125128_004_34ed453fb4.jpeg" alt="signal-2025-03-24-125128_004.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo courtesy of Sophia Hotung</figcaption></figure>The Hong Konger Collection: A Love Letter to Home What began as a drawing exercise evolved into The Hong Konger, a series celebrating the city’s idiosyncrasies. From a taxi driver’s windshield cluttered with eleven devices to a swimmer preparing to dive off a high-rise building, each piece reflects Sophia’s humor and keen observation of Hong Kong life, with richer meanings embedded beneath the surface.Take Lion Rock Station, for example, which shows an MTR station perched improbably atop the namesake hill. On the surface, it’s a comical nod to Hong Kong’s urban landscape. But beneath the humor lies a critique of accessibility—or lack thereof. “A lot of MTR stations in Hong Kong are called accessible, but they’re not,” Sophia explains, recalling a recent experience where she had to lug her rollator—a wheeled walking aid—up flights of stairs after an escalater broke down. “These frustrations seep into my work without being overtly stated.”For Sophia, The Hong Konger isn’t just about showcasing Hong Kong’s quirks; it’s about preserving her memories. Every street corner holds significance, whether it’s the hospital where her grandmother was born or the school her grandfather attended decades ago.<blockquote>“Everywhere I go in Hong Kong feels layered,” she muses. “It feels like there's a story, and it feels like I can pull on that to create art.”</blockquote><figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/signal_2025_03_24_125128_003_c240c8adb9.jpeg" alt="signal-2025-03-24-125128_003.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo courtesy of Sophia Hotung</figcaption></figure>Advocacy Through Art: Bridging Creativity and Causes Sophia has made waves not only as an artist, but as an advocate for causes close to her heart: disability rights, women’s empowerment, and representation of Hong Kong in global narratives. Through her company, Pangolin Society, she channels proceeds from her art into funds that support local charities, including organizations like the SPCA, Women’s Foundation, and Equal Justice Hong Kong. Each project is tailored to meet specific needs, ensuring mutual benefit while amplifying the missions of these groups.One standout collaboration was Where’s Wags?, a playful homage to Where’s Waldo . Hidden within the mural were 103 items related to pet inclusivity, raising awareness for the SPCA’s efforts to lobby for more pet-friendly policies. Similarly, her partnership with the Women’s Foundation ventured into the realm of NFTs, generating passive income streams for the charity. These initiatives demonstrate Sophia’s ability to blend creativity with practicality, crafting solutions that resonate with both audiences and beneficiaries.“I wasn't going out of my way to be an advocate—it just sort of happened,” she admits. “I saw a business opportunity that happened to be with charities. I love the sort of causes I work for—these are things I care about.” By blending creativity with practicality, Sophia proves that art can serve both as a tool for personal expression and a force for meaningful change.<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/signal_2025_03_24_125128_002_b47f956663.jpeg" alt="signal-2025-03-24-125128_002.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo courtesy of Sophia Hotung</figcaption></figure>Living with Chronic Illness: Lessons in Resilience Chronic illness remains a defining aspect of Sophia’s life, shaping not only her worldview but also her artistic philosophy. Before accepting her condition, she berated herself relentlessly, striving for perfection despite deteriorating health.“One of the biggest changes mentally for me was to realize being sick doesn't make me a bad person,” she emphasizes. “Disabled people are considered unfortunate or inconvenient or lazy, and it’s really not the case—I think we need to look at the idea of disability a lot more neutrally than we currently do.” This sense of acceptance helped free her from self-imposed guilt, allowing her to embrace sustainability in both life and work.Today, Sophia operates on a flexible schedule, balancing doctor appointments with creative pursuits. Living between Hong Kong and San Francisco affords her the best of both worlds: proximity to her hometown’s inspiration and access to California’s medical resources. Though challenging, this arrangement underscores her adaptability—a trait honed through years of uncertainty.Beyond Legacy: Crafting Identity and Purpose As a descendant of Sir Robert Hotung, Sophia acknowledges the weight of legacy—but she refuses to let it define her. “Growing up, no one ever really flagged it, so I thought it was just a fun fact,” she notes. “But when I was trying to promote myself as an artist, I realized people had a lot of questions about it, and I didn't really know how to handle the dynasty of it all.”Rather than dwell on privilege, Sophia emphasizes action over introspection. Inspired by her mother—a self-made businesswoman who has led by example—she avoids getting caught up in meaningless debates about identity or worth. “Pontificating and philosophizing over abstract ideas like privilege can become a bit self-obsessed and redundant,” she reflects.Instead, Sophia emphasizes a separation of value from productivity by embracing practical steps forward, reminding herself that overthinking these issues can ironically become an unproductive exercise. “Literally no one is thinking of you that much,” she quips, cutting through the noise with refreshing pragmatism.<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/signal_2025_03_24_125128_008_b91944396e.jpeg" alt="signal-2025-03-24-125128_008.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo courtesy of Sophia Hotung</figcaption></figure>Chronic Illness, Resilience, and the Power of Honest Support For those grappling with chronic illness, Sophia acknowledges that there’s no easy answer. “When someone’s in that position, there’s nothing you can say to them—you can’t promise them anything because you don’t know what’s going to happen,” she says. “You can sympathize, but there’s really nothing you can say.”Reflecting on her own journey, Sophia recalls hitting rock bottom at age 25 or 26, confined to her childhood bedroom, convinced her life was over. “I thought, ‘Any job I could do or would want to do requires my body to do things it can’t.’ I felt completely trapped.”Her turning point came unexpectedly—not through a grand epiphany, but through surrender. “I gave up hope and just thought, you know what? Screw it. I'm just gonna be on an iPad all day and watch TV, and I don't care anymore,” she admits. Ironically, this act of letting go became the catalyst for her eventual climb out of despair. “That was when I started to climb out of the hole, without even realizing it.”What Sophia emphasizes most is the importance of knowing that a way forward exists, even if it feels unimaginable at the time. She credits her mother’s unwavering support during her darkest days, urging others to accept help without guilt to free up mental space and ease anxiety. “Once you accept your position, I think it's easier to see more clearly where you can go from there.”Ultimately, Sophia advocates for honesty over forced positivity. “I remember the first time someone said to me, ‘Yeah, it sucks,’” she says. “To have someone recognize and validate that…was huge for me.” This raw acknowledgment of pain, she believes, helps people feel seen and opens the door to healing.Looking Ahead: Completing the Circle With the release of The (Unlikely) Hong Konger, Sophia ties together threads of her story thus far. Featuring 112 artworks—including pieces never before seen—and accompanying anecdotes, &nbsp;the book encapsulates her journey as an artist and storyteller.“It feels complete,” she says proudly.As she continues splitting her time between Hong Kong and San Francisco, Sophia remains committed to amplifying underrepresented voices, using her platform to advocate for causes close to her heart. Each day brings new stories to tell, new challenges to face, and new ways to honor the city—and the identity—that shaped her.<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/signal_2025_03_24_125128_005_08eface6c8.jpeg" alt="signal-2025-03-24-125128_005.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo courtesy of Sophia Hotung</figcaption></figure>If Sophia could travel back in time to the initial days when chronic illness brought uncertainty into her life, she knows exactly what she’d tell her younger self: “Everything works out,"—a testament to Sophia’s resilience, adaptability, and faith in the unknown.“My main fear,” she reflects, "was that nothing would ever work out. If I just went back and said, ‘Look, everything works out. Just roll with it,’' I think it would reassure me to some degree.” Today, she often reminds herself of this same truth, operating as though a future version of herself has stepped into the room to say, “Everything works out.”Through her art, advocacy, and unyielding spirit, Sophia shows that existing in the in-between is its own kind of wholeness. Her story is a celebration of complexity—a testament to embracing uncertainty, finding purpose even when life doesn’t go as planned and trusting that, no matter what, everything will work out.

JESSICA 會員

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