‘Great art films can be shot in Hong Kong’: Chinese artist on M+ movie and the beauty of black and white
- Chinese filmmaker and painter Yang Fudong explains the premise of his new film and why ‘abundant’ Hong Kong makes it ideal for shooting artistic movies
“Architectural” may be a curious way to describe a film, but it is precisely the adjective that Chinese artist Yang Fudong uses when discussing his latest work, Sparrow on the Sea.
“An architectural film doesn’t only refer to what people can see – such as high-rise buildings and houses – it also refers to architecture that people cannot see,” says Yang. “This invisible architecture includes what you carry in your heart and mind.”
That makes perfect sense for Yang – after all, he is known around the world for his evocative and dreamlike films that transcend time and space.
Born in 1971 in Beijing, the artist didn’t grow up making films; rather, he dedicated his teenage years to painting. He went on to attend the China Academy of Art, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, and graduated with a bachelor of fine arts in oil painting, but it was while studying there that he gradually became drawn to other creative forms – including film and video.
“After graduating university, I floated around for about three years, but every day I thought about filmmaking,” he says.
