Takeover Tuesday with Her Afternoon
Q&A with Her Afternoon, a Hong Kong based Illustrator with a love for both minimalism and surrealism.
Q&A with Her Afternoon
Read time: 5min
Madison Caprara:
Hi there! I really appreciate you taking the time to chat with me. Could you give us a little background on yourself and your work?
Her Afternoon:
Hello. I operate under the pseudonym, Her Afternoon. I am both from and based in Hong Kong. I consider myself a multi-faceted person who vacillates between rationality and emotionality. Though I hate conflict, I am fond of contrast; shadow/light, love/hatred, lost/found, holding on/letting go, so on and so forth. I hope my artwork can reflect the simplicity of nature and, at the same time, show the complexity of humanity.
Madison Caprara:
Wonderful, and how did “Her Afternoon” come to be?
Her Afternoon:
It was a random thought, born on an ordinary afternoon.
Madison Caprara:
Now, I’m looking at your portfolio right now, it’s almost dreamlike; very soft, painterly, absolutely beautiful. I’m reminded of watercolors. Tell us a bit about your aesthetic. How did you go about identifying and perfecting your style?
Her Afternoon:
My work falls into the realms of minimalism and surrealism. To me, art transcends where boundaries do not exist. You might often find naked persons in my work, sometimes it’s a girl, sometimes a boy, sometimes a unisex baby. It can be difficult to see the faces of the persons, but their emotions are there. You can feel them if you allow yourself to do so. My aesthetic is about sensing and exploring. I perfect my style via continuous experimentation.
Madison Caprara:
In regards to these experimentations, do you find yourself drawing inspiration from any particular source?
Her Afternoon:
The work of Haruki Murakami inspires me a lot, especially his books about solitude and relationship. Another source of my inspiration comes from modern poems.
Madison Caprara:
Haruki Murakami...I see where you get your love for surrealism!
Now, thinking about your process, what is your favorite medium and why?
Her Afternoon:
I like pencil sketching. It’s raw and straightforward. I also like its softness and lightness.
Madison Caprara:
Do you allow your art to play a role in your life outside of work? How has it changed your relationship with people and the world as a whole? Particularly within the last year?
Her Afternoon:
I believe art and life cannot be completely separated. They are interlocked, two sides of the same coin. My life influences my art as much as my art affects my life. Last year was a difficult but special time for me. You may easily find sadness, anxiety, and grief in my work. While acknowledging and depicting the pains and sorrows of life, I also wanted to convey the future hopes and dreams implied. If my work happens to change anything in this world, I wish it to create a room for people. A room where you can find peace and hope no matter how chaotic the world is. I wish to create a relaxing afternoon for people who enjoy my art.
Madison Caprara:
We do a good job at harping on all of the lows of last year. The things that we lost, without really crediting what we’ve gained: stronger relationships, better self-advocacy in the workplace, maybe even a new skill.
Madison Caprara:
As I said before, your work lends this sense of serenity. However, your subjects look to be struggling with some inner battle. Is there some underlying theme or emotion you’re trying to convey with your works?
Her Afternoon:
One of the main themes surrounding my work is the ultimate dilemma of solitude vs. human connectedness. We are alone and together, in different levels and contexts. It is that constant struggle and search for mankind that my work attempts to explore and reflect.
Madison Caprara:
And have you always leaned towards minimalism?
Her Afternoon:
So far, yes.
Madison Caprara:
Despite their visual simplicity, your pieces convey so much, humanity’s solitude vs connectedness as you said. How have you managed to do this?
Her Afternoon:
I observe and pay attention to every little detail in daily life, like the faces in a crowd, the passage of the moon, or the summer breeze. I try to make sense of all these experiences and translate them into drawings or words.
Madison Caprara:
The little things.
Looking into the future, what would be your dream project or collaboration?
Her Afternoon:
I would be really excited if I could collaborate with my favorite writer Haruki Murakami.
Madison Caprara:
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Her Afternoon:
It’s a really difficult question. The future is always in flux, but I think collectivity is always in the air. We as people belong to a whole, and one of the interesting things about the art world is that it allows you to pose questions about the nature of that belonging over and over again.
Madison Caprara:
This has been such a great conversation. I really appreciate you taking the time. Before we wrap it up, is there any point you would like to close with?
Her Afternoon:
Be true to yourself and embrace your inner conflicts. They imply your individuality and complexity.
