Alice Chan

Interview

A: I started my personal business under the brand Asteria in 2002. At first, I designed my own website (asterialand.com) and then many different websites from all over the world asked me for online interviews. This allowed a lot of people to get to know my style and my artwork. I had my first exhibition in Tokyo’s Gallery Lele, organized by CWC. I brought my first handmade figure, as well as some personalized postcards and stationary. A magazine interviewed me and after it was published, a Japanese stationary company approached me to do a whole collection using both my girl and animal styles where it was sold exclusively in Japanese department stores; this was my first proper client. I have appeared in many group shows as well as my own solo shows and have exhibited in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, UK & France.

- Who influences or inspires you in your work?

A: I like Van Gogh’s stylized paintings very much. I love his use of colours and it has definitely had an influence on the way I paint. I also like Gary Baseman; his paintings are so funny! Sometimes they can be cute and at other times very dark and playful.

- For somebody who is not familiar with your work, how would you describe it to them?

A: I would say that it is fairytale based, as well as looking quite doll-like with a graphic and fashionable style. Some people have said that my graphics look like they are based around a story and that they look like fairytales.

- Can you describe to us this present show “Love Fantasy” that you have at the Bodhi Gallery in London?

A: I have brought some new paintings to this show which are based around the themes of love and fantasies. I wanted to tell people what I love and what I am interested in creating. These stories are based around a girl and her animal friends. As my brand is called Asteria, there a lot of star-shaped ideas in the canvases, including diamonds which I use a lot for the girl’s eyes. Stars are symbolic as they give you a sense of warmth and hope for the future. If people see these stars, I hope that they feel, like me, that they have to work hard and be creative in order to make their dreams come true. I also collaborated with a brand called Sportmax to make a 3-set doll series using clothing that we designed together and each doll was limited to 500 pieces. They are being sold at Sportmax and Maxmara retail outlets.

- You are originally a graphic designer, but with the recent success of your toys, is this a market that you want to try and do more with in the future?

A: I like to challenge myself and am definitely interested to try and work more with 3D models as I am normally using the 2D format. If I can try to convert more of my illustrations into the 3D format, I will be very happy.

- How do fake toys or products from China affect the art toy market in Asia? In one way, does it make you feel good that people want your product or is it ruining your business?

A: To be honest, I know that I can’t really do much to stop this situation from happening, but I do hope that fans of my work will continue to support me and try to buy only originals.

I am always trying to attract their hearts to my original products! If I can continue to make products that are more complicated and difficult to copy then I think that this is the only way to stay ahead of the pirate market as their quality won’t be as good as mine. Also, if I work with big brands such as Levis, who distribute my products internationally, so hopefully, this may discourage people from trying to copy my work as they would have to deal with strict copyright infringements from the big brands.

- Any future projects you want to tell us about?

A: I have been invited to take part in Fendi’s 10 year anniversary which I am really looking forward to. They want me to customize a handbag for them which will then be auctioned off. This show is also to help promote a current design competition that Fendi are holding where anybody over the age of 16, from students to young designers, can download a handbag template and try to design their own. One design will be picked as the winner and the design will then be printed for a limited set of Fendi handbags.

Alice Chan : http://www.asterialand.com

Written by Selph