10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
An artist imagines what Hong Kong would look like if giant animals took over
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Hong Kong illustrator Maf Cheung recalled the silly moment when her friend's cat crouched under a chair and stared at her pup.
'My dog is extremely introverted and not social at all, while Eevee is one of those cats that bullies the weak but fears the strong,' recalled Cheung, who is in her 30s. 'Since my Yorkie was bigger, Eevee gave her this sceptical look and chose a ... safe spot.'
That moment inspired Cheung to draw a giant version of Eevee peeking through a bridge in Causeway Bay. The giant feline makes a passing green tram look as small as a toy.
'The way she looked at us felt like she was judging all of humanity,' she added.
This was the first piece in Cheung's 'Hong Kong Giant Animal Series'. These pieces imagine oversized animals roaming around the city.
She started working on this series in 2022. In 2023, she published 90 of these pieces in a book.
In April and May, one of Cheung's artworks was featured in an exhibition in the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.
Cheung's advice to young illustrators in Hong Kong is to take the time to find their voice as an artist.
'Art is inherently slow. It grows from experience and reflection – and those things need time to settle and take shape,' she said.
Sparrows are helping people learn about a Hong Kong neighbourhood
Reimagining Hong Kong
When Cheung was in primary school, her best friends weren't her classmates. They were her dad's pets: goldfish, koi, turtles, birds, chinchillas and even hawks.
'I spent more time with those animals than I did playing with other kids. Even when we had family gatherings, I preferred being with the pets,' she said. 'Animals gave me emotional comfort.'
That is why animals are so important in her art.
'By making them giant, I'm projecting my feelings onto them. These are the beings I trust, the ones that help me relax,' Cheung explained.
Her art also focuses on places in Hong Kong that are disappearing or already gone. For example, she has drawn Queen's Pier, the old Hung Hom MTR station, and the iconic neon signs of Nam Cheong Pawn Shop and Leung Tim Choppers Factory.
One of her pieces features a giant sparrow at the former Hung Hom station.
'A fan messaged me and said, 'It's perfect that you drew a sparrow there because, in my experience, the sparrows at Hung Hom are the fattest in all of Hong Kong because they eat McDonald's,'' Cheung said.
Maf Cheung's artwork highlights Hong Kong's famous neon lights. Photo: Handout
Mix of reality and fantasy
Cheung's art mixes what is real with what is a fantasy. Her inspiration started with Hayao Miyazaki's animated film, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.
'It was the first of his works I saw, and I was hooked. I watched everything he released after that,' the artist explained. 'That's where the fairy-tale dreaminess in my art comes from.'
She added that the dreamlike parts of her work also showed her emotions.
Cheung gave the example of her favourite artwork in her giant animal series. It shows a flying squirrel that saves a girl at Lei Tak Estate.
'That piece was actually about processing my own negative emotions at the time. A lot was happening in Hong Kong then, and I was feeling overwhelmed,' she said.
'I imagined – what if in that moment, a giant flying squirrel came to save me? That idea brought me comfort.'
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