It’s technically autumn here which I’m ready for… a lot going on but we’ve at least made it to this point in the year.
art ✎
My Risolab residency project is done… “Promises” is a set of prints and an art book loosely inspired by woodblock print charms, divination practices, and how we try to make sense of our wishes, futures, and place in the world.
Each print represents a certain theme, though the specific symbolism or meanings is open to viewer interpretation. They were designed to feel as if they might be part of a larger set, with consistent layouts and palettes. Printed with 5 colors: Mint, Bright Olive Green, Bright Red, Medium Blue, and Hunter Green.
The book is an alternate way to experience the same concept. It consists of 24 sheets or cards with illustrated panels taken from the prints, grouped into the 6 themes. Each panel is accompanied by a fragment of text, to interpret or ignore—the text is printed in reverse on the back of the page to create a semi-obscured effect. The pages are punched and bound with a loop of ball chain, and are intended to be rearranged, removed, or displayed as you like.
You can read a little more about the individual themes + see some more pictures on my site. I very unceremoniously had to wrap up my residency by getting sick and being in recovery for about a month so I also feel like I lost a lot of momentum for wanting to talk about this project or you know make posts online… it’s a very self indulgent thing so now it’s just something out in the world for you to engage with or not as you wish. (I will however be doing an artist talk at the Risolab about the residency sometime… probably in November, you can keep an eye out on the Risolab socials for an announcement).
15 / 25-08 / submerge
perhaps you dreamed it once. August's print / ammonoid fanart, in 4 colors (coral, aqua, bright olive green, hunter green)
16 / 25-09 / eventual
the days loom long behind you. July's print, in 4 colors (yellow, mint, bright olive green, copper)
You can learn more about my monthly riso print club + sign up for it here.
selfsame - 3 color riso print in fluorescent yellow, red, + federal blue. Printed by RETRO印刷JAM on A4 186gsm paper.
Completely forgot to share this last time… but this was done for the Touching Grass show organized by Around Gallery - thanks to them for their work + anyone who stopped by the show in Singapore!
other news etc ✷
Thanks to everyone who stopped by at SPX even if I wasn’t able to have as much books as I wanted… I talked too much and it hurt to even laugh afterwards…
My next events so far will be:
Massachusetts Indie Comics Expo (MA) - Dec 6-7
Comic Arts LA (CA) - Dec 13-14
I’m getting started on reprints (ie, what I originally wanted to have for SPX lol) so hopefully will have a bunch more zines/books for these! Reprinting a 2nd edition of Skinning (single color/saddle stitched) + trying to get a very limited print run done of my comic Viscera from… 2021… Also trying to have something new but no guarantees.
In the meantime: trying to table at a few smaller markets here in NYC! I’ll (99% sure) be at a market later in October at Boyfriend Co-op, you can check my site for exact dates later. I will also try to have my online store open again once I catch up on my backlog of work… but will send announcements for that like usual.
thanks for being here,
— a liang chan / formyths
read: Dawn, Octavia Butler / BLAME!, Nihei Tsutomu / the Viriconium books, M. John Harrison / The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Stephen Graham Jones
watch: Cloud, Kurosawa Kiyoshi / Peking Opera Blues, Tsui Hark - a fave of mine so was super happy to get to see the restoration in theaters / Linda Linda Linda, Yamashita Nobuhiro - another fun restoration rewatch / Back Home, Tsai Ming-Liang
listen: 欲欲 Yuyu, COLD DEW / 幻滅情歌 Love Songs in Disillusion, 王子健 Wang Zijian / honestly though this was mostly a “listening to the same things on repeat” time