「這是最好的時代，也是最壞的時代，這是有智慧的時代，也是有愚蠢的時代…，我們擁有一切，卻又一無所有。」 —— 《雙城記》疫情至今已經進入第三年，面對第五波的疫情，各種限制不論是對藝術家、藝術創作、實體展覽、藝文活動，以至我們最平常不過的日常生活，都受到各方面不論好壞的影響。
窮則變，變則通，疫情的當下所體現出來的創作反而更值得我們留意，這個狀態下的藝術不單止可以更加坦誠面對周遭的處境和探索自身的本質和價值。而愈是受到限制和碰撞，愈能看到藝術創作的顛覆性，同時藝術介入生活亦更顯得貼切和真實，而這種社會媒介( Social mediations )正正就是藝術作品與觀看者兩者之間的獨特橋樑。
所以，這次4月份的封面和以往拍攝的專訪不一樣，我們希望透過9位藝術家細微波動的視點和隱身在作品中的細節和藝術力（ Strength of art），挑出這些生活中的疼痛神經，讓讀者重新認識疫情下的香港，以藝術作為反應社會現狀的載體，帶來回應、衝擊和啟發。
「 藝術不是反映現實的鏡子，而是鑿做現實的鐵錘。」—— 貝爾托·布萊希特Mindly.Journal Art Cover by Isaac Spellman
1995年出生的Isaac Spellman 巫男, 2019年畢業於香港浸會大學視覺藝術院。他現在是名插畫師，專長數碼插畫，受現代流行文化，藝術歷史及巫術深深影響，從他的作品中呈現出獨特美學，復古與流行互相交差，交織出新的插畫風格。曾與Lady Gaga，Van Cleef & Arpels, Vivienne Westwood合作，他最近亦為Cup出版繪製了經典反烏托邦小說《美麗新世界》的封面和內頁插圖。
MINDLY: 請和我們分享這次封面的作品，當中帶有什麼對疫情/疫情下香港的看法/啟發？
ISAAC: 首先多謝Mindly.Journal的邀請繪畫今次4月份的兩個電子封面，總覺得以插畫代替本人上雜誌封面是很神奇的事，能幻想自己擁有明星風範。
先說說第一個封面，畫中女子比繩綑綁著雙腳，暗示早前謠傳的禁足令。身旁的飛鳥則是心中所想，恨不得飛離香港去旅行的香港人，而身後的波濤洶湧亦反映香港不知還要承受幾多波疫情。由於Mindly Journal與時裝息息相關，在服裝上面我是受我喜愛的品牌之一Gucci影響，我參考了Gucci Aria 2021 秋冬系列的幾件單品拼湊而成。
而第二個封面我則嘗試從攝影師的角度出發，希望”拍”一張概念性比較重的照片。靈感來自於早前廣大市民恐慌搶購日常用品及糧食的情況，人們瘋狂購買肉類屯積於雪櫃中，尤如俄羅斯方塊般交疊著。另外為了增添日常生活的樂趣感，我特意加了一隻意大利小靈緹虎視眈眈地對著雪櫃。
MINDLY: 你怎樣看疫情中的香港，現在的生活環境/情況是否對你的創作形式/方向有所改變和影響？
ISAAC: 我認為疫情下的香港像極未來城市，街中空無一人，每個人都戴著口罩，摸不透大家的身份，荒誕的景況已經司空見慣。加上作為自由工作者，我早已習慣Work From Home，筆下的畫作似是繪製未來的世界，其實早已近在眼前。
Mindly.Journal Art Cover by Alex Maeland
Born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Alex Maeland is a creative director, designer, and photographer living and working between Hong Kong and Los Angeles. Alex has a longstanding career crafting brand stories for the likes of Gatorade, Asics, Arc-Teryx, Jordan Brand, Eleven Madison Park, adidas Originals, Lane Eight, and Pepsi.
MINDLY: Please share with us about the artwork on April’s cover, any views/inspiration of Hong Kong under COVID?
ALEX: These photos are a series of images that were captured over the course of “lockdown” in Hong Kong. As anyone who has lived or spent time in Hong Kong can tell you, the city has so much to offer, yet it is still a very small city geographically. I would often bring my camera to the waterfront overlooking Victoria Harbour to feel less trapped during the lockdown days. Looking over the city at night, I began to shoot the water and the skyline in a chaotic way that sort of embodied my state of mind at the time. Capturing such a peaceful and serene view in a very erratic way felt like the perfect representation of my mental health in the moment.
MINDLY: How do you think about Hong Kong during COVID? Has the current living environment/situation influenced your art form/direction of creation?
ALEX: I tend to always look for the positives amidst any situations. I think my initial reaction to COVID in Hong Kong was to become frustrated or demotivated. But, the city offers us so much - and all Hong Kong residents have been relatively unscathed from COVID’s daily disruptions over the past few years when compared to other global cities.
So, to the question, it forced me to find new sources of inspiration within the same city that I have lived for the past ten years. I began to spend more time walking the city, discovering new corners and pockets of the environment that I never knew before. I began to rely more on the tools at my disposal to find new avenues of creativity instead of relying solely on travel to spark inspiration. I began to invest more in the local creative community of people. I developed a deeper appreciation for the city itself through the COVID times.
Mindly.Journal Art Cover by Fingerandfish
Fingerandfish, A creative duo from Hong Kong who are often inspired by the current and nostalgic culture of art and aesthetics. Previous works include merchandise design for Beyoncé and album & song covers design for Hong Kong songstress Serrini. They are currently focusing on creating illustrations and brand collaborations to elaborate on their original character, Tattsumi, and their ideas. Mixing materials and concepts is their way of sharing with the world what they love, to create a culture of their own, and to honour their inspirations.
MINDLY: Please share with us about the artwork on April’s cover, any views/inspiration of Hong Kong under COVID?
FINGERANDFISH: We should, we need to, and we will walk out of the bitterness.
It is no doubt that many of us would feel stuck and trapped that we can’t travel or do anything much. With a problematic world full of issues on top of COVID, we have all the reason to feel down and awful. When we’re asked to create a cover for MINDLY, “Hopefulness” came to our minds and we hope this can share a glimpse of that.
We ought to find joy and inner peace even with chaos happening around us. The idea of doing more soul searching is to realise how our heart is full of space and capacity for many possibilities. And we’ll have what we need and be brave enough to walk out of the shadows, with all our lost powers retrieved.
MINDLY: How do you think about Hong Kong during COVID? Has the current living environment/situation influenced your art form/direction of creation?
FINGERANDFISH: We have created our original character, Tattsumi (She/They), during the pandemic. The character to us is a remedy and a reflection of self. We let the character speak for us, to represent our mood for each day. The days of isolation gave us quiet times, she became the sweetener to our bitterness.
The current situation limits but also enables us at the same time that we had to step out of our comfort zone to try new and different stuff during the past year. We are more grounded in a way we try to put reality into our creation. To pay more attention to things that are happening and project the intention into our work that people can feel fine and peaceful being in a weird time like now when they look at our arts.
Mindly.Journal Art Cover by HEIO.F 日希紋身
Hong Kong based tattoo artist, Hecoheio. Who specialises in illustrative style, a style that originates from hand drawn drafts, often inspired by anime style of art and historical paintings. The angel-baby designs are one of the signature works from him, hoping that the act of tattooing can redirect the same kind of love and blessings to the people he tattoos.
MINDLY: 請和我們分享這次封面的作品，當中帶有什麼對疫情/疫情下香港的看法/啟發？
HECOHEIO: 照片中的模特兒身上除了四個真實的紋身以外，其餘都是移印墨水（一種紋身前把設計藍圖先轉移到皮膚上令紋身過程更順暢的前期準備工作），這應該說明了我們大部分熱愛紋身的人在疫情期間的心聲吧。因為防疫條例，紋身行業在疫情下的幾年內不斷收到停業的影響，對於做紋身創作也有很多阻礙。希望照片蘊含的精神可以讓各位紋身愛好者有have some fun的感覺，圖中亦有部分尚未釋出的新設計圖供大家參考喔 (wink~)
MINDLY: 你怎樣看疫情中的香港，現在的生活環境/情況是否對你的創作形式/方向有所改變和影響？
HECOHEIO: 因為疫情，多了很多時間留在家中做紋身設計，可以有更多思考空間去嘗試不同風格和主題的創作。經常遇到客人希望將一段回憶記錄下來，而大部分都是一些帶有傷感情緒的事件。我們主張的反而是轉化，利用插畫的手法和素材運用，設計出帶有流動概念的圖案，紋身是一輩子的，單單把記憶或情緒紀錄在皮膚之上固然是理所當然的做法。但轉化的意義源自於我們HEIO.F 日希紋身 的理念，想擁有我們紋身設計的你們可以帶著希望去迎接每一天，希望紋身也能伴隨你們的成長，隨著日子過去，紋身亦可以被賦予更多不一樣的意義。
Mindly.Journal Art Cover by Gideon de Kock
Gideon de Kock is a South African creative, street and commercial photographer based in Hong Kong. What began as a way to scratch a creative itch evolved into something far more when he began documenting the streets of Hong Kong with film. With a photography style that has developed from confrontational and candid to more detailed-oriented investigations, Gideon has built a distinct perspective of contemporary urban environments. His skilful framings and compositions turn objects into decorative ornaments that elevate the banal.
MINDLY: Please share with us about the artwork on April’s cover, any views/inspiration of Hong Kong under COVID?
GIDEON: I’ve been documenting Hong Kong since 2015, and have seen a lot of change as a result. Much of this has been observing the government's unbalanced response to the plight of its working class. Hong Kong was once a shining example of how to manage a pandemic (the unfortunate H5N1 pandemic likely prepared the city to handle future outbreaks with greater efficiency), however, present day shows us what ignoring the concerns of its actual citizens leads to. Myself and many others feel broken, tired, and hopeless in many ways - mental health been in steep decline. Hong Kong has had a very difficult number of years, and it just can’t seem to catch a break. The photos taken for this project highlight pockets of the absurd, but also loneliness. It’s a city in perpetual state of flux.
MINDLY: How do you think about Hong Kong during COVID? Has the current living environment/situation influenced your art form/direction of creation?
GIDEON: It’s mostly left me quite defeated unfortunately. A combination of personal crises, mixed with poor management from the powers that be has slowed down much of my creativity. As a street photographer, I’m quite sensitive to the energy around me, and as a result of covid in Hong Kong my work has echoed much of my personal battles with direction. If anything, my style is in a constant state of refinement, and the situation here has opened the streets up even further than before, allowing me more room to take time with observation and composition.
Mindly.Journal Art Cover by Christopher Lim
Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Christopher Lim is a freelance photographer currently residing in Hong Kong. His work has included respected clients including: Nike, adidas Originals, Barron’s, ASICS, GUCCI, MAEKAN and Blackbird Automotive.
MINDLY: Please share with us about the artwork on April’s cover, any views/inspiration of Hong Kong under COVID?
CHRISTOPHER: I'm currently looking at Hong Kong through a particular focal length, angle, and orientation; capturing the usual and unusual things of Hong Kong. I avoid photographing faces because I think given the current situation we're in now, I think it's somewhat a "waste of time" to photograph people with face masks on. I guess I'm not trying capture what we're living in now so literally. I want to leave some curiosity with my photographs.
MINDLY: How do you think about Hong Kong during COVID? Has the current living environment/situation influenced your art form/direction of creation?
CHRISTOPHER: I think Hong Kong are behind the rest of the world when it comes to battling COVID. It definitely has delayed my aspirations and evolution as a photographer. With the low work opportunities and uncertainty of income, it's given me anxiety to not do personal work that could progress to potential commercial work.
Mindly.Journal Art Cover by 蕭偉恒
蕭偉恒一直從事攝影及多媒體創作，作品呈現對社會的關注及對影像媒介的反思。他擅以影像回應社會的蕭偉恒，過去的事情，曾使他對手上的工具感到無力，隨後他在相片上以刮擦、打孔等方法式來重拾他手上的影像，如世人一樣以不尋常的舉止回應世界，表現出在此艱澀時刻各種荒誕行為。於2013年，蕭氏入圍「香港當代藝術獎2012」，並於2014年獲頒發「WYNG大師攝影獎」，一個旨在以攝影項目引發公眾對香港社會不同議題的關注的非牟利攝影獎。 他的作品被香港立法會所收藏。蕭氏現於香港居住及於大學教授藝術。
MINDLY: 請和我們分享這次封面的作品，當中帶有什麼對疫情/疫情下香港的看法/啟發？
蕭: 疫情迫使我們放棄自由和私隱，每每走進不同場所都需要放下我們的資訊。由疫情初期的探熱填紙到現在的安心出行，的確改變了許多人的生活。而更令我感受到以往看似免費／廉價的東西，現在佢變得最重要。
MINDLY: 你怎樣看疫情中的香港，現在的生活環境/情況是否對你的創作形式/方向有所改變和影響？
蕭: 少了外出，令我反思創作的流動性是否可以衝出物理的限制。我比以往花更多昤間在網絡找資料，和以往實在做的有點不同，但就是這重方式更能反應當下生活的特質。
Mindly.Journal Art Cover by Tsz
(Model - Horace Tong; Flower - SENSE 131)
Tsz，全名曾子晴，25歲，畢業於香港浸會大學，現職攝影師，曾舉辦「暮世尋芳」展覽。
MINDLY: 請和我們分享這次封面的作品，當中帶有什麼對疫情/疫情下香港的看法/啟發？
TSZ: 其實對於今次封面嘅作品，因為喺疫情下同埋喺香港，感覺係特別壓抑，迷惘同無助。嗰種絕望係，你手寫無數次鼓勵自己要保持希望，原來唔係自己最真實心底嘅感受，點樣催眠自己都唔會成為真實。謊言你無論幾多次都依然係謊言，儘管是善意的謊言。
我在學習接受自己的不完美。例如相中我寫下的字，寫字的力度種種的混亂也是表達我的情緒。我寫字唔靚以前我一定不會用自己寫下的寫，但確實是我真實存在的一部分，所以我要學習接受種種的不完美。缺陷是世界最真實的美。
MINDLY: 你怎樣看疫情中的香港，現在的生活環境/情況是否對你的創作形式/方向有所改變和影響？
TSZ: 我係一個比較感性的人，好受自己情緒影響，感受性比較強。有時覺得創作係一種自由嘅表達，但當個世界框架越來越鮮明，有時會喺度諗我哋仲有幾多喘息嘅空間？
Mindly.Journal Art Cover by Syan Leung
(Photo - Morgan H; Makeup - Kaho Cheng; Hair - Peter Li; Model - Hoiki Lao @ Elite HK;
Styling assistant - Itta Ng & Lok; Wardrobe - GIVENCHY, MSGM)
Syan Leung，90後Fashion Stylist和Creative/Art Director，畢業於London College of Fashion，曾於JOYCE擔任Visual merchandiser，Calvin Klein擔任Fashion coordinator，Farfetch擔任Stylist。現時是自由身時裝造型師，為不同藝人、廣告、名牌設計形象。2019年創立網上雜誌 Mindly.Journal，希望打破舊有框架，致力推廣獨有風格的時裝和藝術文化。
MINDLY: 請和我們分享這次封面的作品，當中帶有什麼對疫情/疫情下香港的看法/啟發？
SYAN: 人人防疫居家自危，太多事令生活困擾，每天戴上口罩面罩已經成為三年來的習慣，但習以為常就等於理所當然嗎？眼見其他國家一早已經相應做出社會配套，但香港人卻成為籠中鳥，其實是一件很異常的事。故此構思這個作品時，便從這個方向抽取靈感，用一種富未來感並帶有奇異感的藝術方式表達這份無可奈何的孤獨感 (希望將來不用Suffer太久吧~)。
MINDLY: 你怎樣看疫情中的香港，現在的生活環境/情況是否對你的創作形式/方向有所改變和影響？
SYAN: 這三年令太多人失去重要的人，失去工作和生活。時裝和廣告業界也在水深火熱當中，今日不知聽日事，Job和Production隨時因為一個新聞公佈就Cancel，籌備的心血付諸東流。在這個艱辛的時間，唯有在逆流中自娛和增值。可能正正因為大家多了時間思考和鑽研，這兩年香港娛樂圈意外地蓬勃，有心有力做高質素，網上平台也隨著不能出戶而廣泛起來。這實在也刺激我成立MINDLY.JOURNAL，希望為自己帶來一點改變，為業界創造一點沖激。