What have been some of the biggest challenges and most rewarding aspects of being an artist?

I think the biggest challenge for me as a digital artist is to create artworks that would resonate with the audience. If people don’t really understand your work or the messages behind them, it can be difficult to stay motivated and create. For me, it’s wonderful to make art that people really care about. That’s also probably the most rewarding part of my career, that I always love to connect with and inspire people through my art. Sharing those thought-provoking images on Instagram allows me to interact with a wide audience, and seeing them taking part in discussions of social issues reflected from my work, do encourage me in everything I do in the field.

How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the way you work?

Like many artists, the global pandemic has been a source of inspiration for my creations—from social distancing rules to handwashing and mask-wearing practices. But at this point, I believe Hong Kong people are experiencing pandemic fatigue and feeling stressed due to the lack of travel and challenges of maintaining work-life balance. So I don’t want to include pandemic-related themes in my surreal world anymore, but create something interesting that would cheer people up and raise their spirits. Now that Hong Kong’s pandemic situation is stable, I’m also more willing to go outside to look for inspiration and take photos.

Tell us about your participation at Digital Art Fair Asia (DAFA), which images will you bring to the fair, which one’s your favourite, and what’s the story behind it?

I feel very honoured to be invited by Digital Art Fair Asia to showcase my artworks at the upcoming exhibition. I never thought I’d get the chance to participate in art fairs with my work, not to mention a large-scale event like DAFA. My artworks have also been exhibited at the Affordable Art Fair earlier, and I’m so happy to have these opportunities to share my creative ideas with the public. It still feels like a dream to me, but I’m really grateful to be recognised by these prominent art organisations. Participating in art fairs make me become more confident, and I know I’m on the right path.

At this year's DAFA, I’ll be showcasing something a bit different from the usual artworks you’d see on my Instagram. Instead of simply printing the photos out for display, the images are digitally animated to offer visitors a unique, immersive digital art experience. A more advanced level of photo manipulation is expected, and the usage of animation has made my surreal work appear more dynamic. Highlighted images include the floating buddha and Hong Kong tram with a snowfall backdrop, where the latter was amplified with the signature “ding ding” double-bell sound recording for an enhanced, more dramatic surreal effect. 

The rise in popularity of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) in recent years has promised to revolutionise the creative industry. Digital artists are keen to know about the trend and learn how to claim formal recognition for their work and gain an additional source of income in the NFT art world, while collectors are eying unique digital art to their ever-growing collection.

What do you think of NFTs and would you like to have your work become part of the NFT art community? Why or why not?

Yes, artists these days, including myself, are becoming more and more interested in the NFT space. It was really exciting to learn about the behind blockchain technologies and cryptocurrency concepts, as the emergence of NFTs gives artists the authority to display, sell, rent their digital artworks out while being able to track each piece’s provenance, exhibition history, as well as the authenticity of ownership in a secure and permanent way.

This interesting trend has also become popular among art collectors and investors alike, as people are seeking new ways to diversify their collections and invest in some more unique works. Thanks to the innovative concept and new technology, people are also given easy access to virtual auctions and purchase artworks that are made available as NFTs on online platforms. I’m really looking forward to pushing the boundaries of my own artistic vision even more and growing my audience base in the NFT art world in the coming years.  

For traditional art forms, the number of original editions and how rare a piece is will directly impact its value. Can you share your thoughts on what brings value to digital art?

The emergence of NFTs creates a new form of scarcity that each piece of digital artwork is valued as completely unique and whose authenticity can be easily verified through blockchain technology. But the number of copies the digital artist would like to produce would also affect the value of a piece of artwork—you need to think about is it being mass-produced or can be only owned by one person.

Similar to traditional art, I think the artist’s style and background also play an important part in determining the value of an artwork. And if your work is interesting enough that can elicit emotions from the audience, the piece can be valuable too, even it’s available in a large number of quantities. 

See also: What Is An NFT? Experts Share Everything You Need To Know

What are some changes that you’d like to see within Hong Kong’s digital art space?

Digital art, like other fields of design, does require continuous support and resources for further development. It would be great if local artists are given more opportunities to nurture their talents and showcase their works at art events and exhibitions, just like the Digital Art Fair Asia 2021, which gives the artists a space to shine and helps to promote digital art in Hong Kong.

What’s your next project after Digital Art Fair Asia?

My goal is to continue improving myself, delving into the world of NFTs and mastering animation to fuse those elements into my creative process. I will keep producing works and sharing them with my fans on Instagram, and hopefully I'm able to participate in more art exhibitions to share my photos with a wider art community. I also want to experiment with more new tools and themes to create more unique, meaningful surreal photos.  

Tommy Fung (@SurrealHK)'s works will be showcased at Digital Art Fair Asia 2021. The exhibition will run from September 30 to October 17 at G/F, Asia Standard Tower, 59-65 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong. Find out more about the event and purchase tickets at digitalartfair.io