Meet Our Newest LomoAmigo, Silas Fong!

Meet award winning video artist Silas Fong! Silas has been named one of Asia’s leading design talents in the 2010’s by Perspective Magazine. Here at Lomography Asia, we were lucky enough to catch up with Silas to learn about what inspires him, his experiences with film photography and his upcoming projects. Read on to find out what he had to say!

Name: Silas Fong
Location: Hong Kong

Tell us about yourself. What do you do for a living and what are your interests?
I am a video artist, and I work on video-based instillations and also occasionally in photography. After graduating in 2008, I worked for a while at Asia Art Archive as a research assistant and cataloguer for 1980’s contemporary Chinese art. After that, I went to CUHK for my MFA.

How long have you been a Lomographer? Or are you new to the world of Lomography
I first heard of Lomography when I was in high school. The first Lomography camera I used was the Action Sampler.

What was your most meaningful encounter with analogue photography?
When I was studying at Baptist University I took a photography class, and I stole my father’s Nikon FE to complete the work. The shutter gets stuck a lot now so I don’t use it as often anymore, but I still have the camera.

Is there any particular Lomographic camera you would like to try shooting with?
Yes! The LomoKino. I work on video installations and would like to use the LomoKino to form a sequence.

If, like Silas, you can’t wait to get your hands on the LomoKino, shop for the LomoKino here, or visit our LomoKino microsite

What’s the most unforgettable experience you’ve had in analogue photography?
In my photography class at Baptist University, we had to make a series on a topic of our choice. Using my Nikon FE, I experimented with double exposure using the button on the bottom of the camera so that the images overlapped a bit. I think photography is a good medium to express feeling, but for me, it also has a lot to do with chance.

Tell us about your upcoming work/projects.
I’m thinking about an installation with images that do not seem to belong together. I’d like to play with light, objects and photos, but I’m not sure how it will turn out yet. I also want to put more of myself into my work.

If you could be anywhere in the world with your camera, where would you be and why?
Probably Tokyo – it’s like Hong Kong but even more crazy! I like to capture strangers’ faces, and there is a place in Tokyo where there are 5 zebra crossings together, so it’s perfect for that.

What are your plans for the summer?
I will be in Berlin for the next 3 months at an artist’s residency, and will hopefully meet local artists.

Please share with us your favourite photo and describe it.
It’s really hard for me to pick a favourite. My photos from my exhibition were not related, but they all give you a very bizarre feeling. The curator of my exhibition ‘Sitcom’ said that my work reminded them of William Eggleston’s photography.

Any advice to young artists out there?
I am a young artist! For people living in Hong Kong like me, I would say to be more aggressive, but also keep your work real. At Baptist University, our final project is called the Honours project, but many of us called it the ‘honest project’, because it is so important to keep true to yourself in your work.

Click here to find out more about Silas Fong and his upcoming work.

written by amanda-sheppard on 2013-07-04 #people #videos #art #video #hong-kong #artist #movies #amigo #hk #lomoamigo #lomokino