Chantown is a Hong Kong-based artist...

working most often with mixed media on square canvas or wood (square, like an LP cover). She juxtaposes images with song lyrics, often in the form of newspaper, reminiscent of ransom notes and DIY punk flyers. Embellishing the visual impact of her work, Chantown uses additional materials such as rich cloth, Chinese silk or traditional western patterns, embroidery and other adornments, creating vibrant, low relief paintings with a sense of “archaeology”.

Poking fun at Semiotics and Pop Culture – which was once described as “a parasitic culture; feeding on high culture, while offering nothing in return” – Chantown encourages the viewer to create their own dialogue with her work, by questioning the relationship between image and word and how it’s resolved. There are no prescribed ideas or concepts that the viewer is “supposed” to glean.

Considered independently, the words and images hold their own meaning, feeling, implication and memories. Placed together, a dichotomy is created in the whole – at a second glance, the relationship between word and image create ambiguity, tension and disharmony, holding the viewer at ransom.