Meet Johnson Tsang, a sculptor from Hong Kong who pushes the boundaries of our imagination and amazes us with his surreal fantasies in masterful works. This self-taught artist has a special divine gift to transform the most complex themes and emotions into beauty that can be touched.
We decided to keep this interview in two parts, because we want you to discover Johnson Tsang as an incredibly interesting artist with a wise soul.
My passion for art never stopped. Even at lunchtime or after work with the police, I drew portraits of my colleagues. After a while, many colleagues started coming to me and asking me to paint their portraits. I did it for free.
In my 13 years as a police officer, I’ve done hundreds of these portraits. It was good training for me in making facial expressions.
After I showed my abilities in the arts, I got some special missions. When I worked for the Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, I was assigned to be the evidence collection officer in some serious cases. Because I was very good at making a detailed plan of the room, determining the condition of the evidence and collecting it systematically.
During my two years as a sergeant in the traffic department, I was also responsible for designing some of the posters for traffic safety propaganda. Although they weren’t considered real art, it told every cell in me where I belonged.
When I was young, I didn’t think of myself as an artist and never thought of becoming one. I just couldn’t stop making art. I treated it as a hobby. So I didn’t feel any conflict. Many police officers have their hobbies after work. However, things went differently when my passion for arts grew rapidly later on. Things went differently when later my passion for art skyrocketed.
Some inner voice told me that I had at least one more choice to go on living with more joy.
An inner voice tells me the direction of my path. I realized that I don’t need courage to do this. It just happened. What I had to do was to make a choice. When I left the police force, I didn’t do creative work full time. To survive, I was teaching ceramics. All these years later, I’m very grateful that I made that decision.
I don’t put any limits on my artistic style. I just express my feelings. I believe that human faces and their expressions give me a lot of freedom to speak my words and to translate my imagination into reality.
When I have an idea in my head for which I need a certain facial expression. I just pick faces from the Internet at random. These are the only references I need. When I create a face, I don’t need to make it as real as the original face. All I need is a good feeling in it.
I feel like a messenger who has realized some ideas embedded in my mind. These ideas can hardly be “created” or “designed.
Although I created these works with my own hands, I believe they are not my “creations.”
I feel like a messenger who has realized some ideas embedded in my mind. These ideas can hardly be “created” or “designed. They come from an unknown source, somewhere in there lies my inner world. So I try not to explain them in words, because I may not fully understand their true meaning.
I believe that one day my works will get to someone who will resonate with them. Then it might be the beginning of another journey.
I do meditation twice a day. Sometimes I spend time with my childhood moment. I imagined that I was talking to a 5 year old me. He looked at me, not understanding who I was, so I knelt down to his height.
Looking into his eyes and gently holding his hand, I said “Hi, Shing, don’t worry. I’m just the future you. I’m here to tell you how grateful I am for the amazing things you’ve done for me.“ He started to show his curiosity, wearing a smile. I continued, “I want to tell you that you are a great man to me. As a five year old boy you have already found the passion and desire of your soul – I don’t have to search for it for the rest of my life like everybody else. I understand that you have problems at school, because you love drawing more than anything else. You don’t know how to face a world where everyone is pursuing things that you find boring. You know, I really appreciate that you didn’t give up on your bliss. Even when you were having a hard time, you kept doing what you loved: painting, being close to nature, observing the ocean, the clouds, and the universe. You didn’t close the door to imagination and creativity. You opened up your mind, listened to our inner voice and invited me to join you. You have laid a solid foundation for my growth. Today, I am happy to say I didn’t let you down. I kept doing what you did, being myself, loving myself. You taught me that life can be like that.”
In addition to answering your questions. I want to share some news with you. Something happened during those few months that led me on a whole new journey in my life.
On January 26, 2022, around 6:00 p.m., I had a stroke in my workshop. The cause was an AVM (arteriovenous malformation). The doctor said it happens once in 150,000 cases. I was born with this brain defect, so it happens sooner or later. Some people have a stroke at a fairly young age.
Fortunately, I managed to call my wife before I lost consciousness. Those 10 seconds saved my life and also saved me from serious brain damage.
Life gave me a second chance. After a successful open brain surgery performed by a very professional brain surgeon, the problem was eliminated.
I woke up three weeks later. From that day, a whole new journey began. As a result, my right leg and right arm have lost most of their ability to move. I can only speak slowly. Fortunately, my mind is still clear. I realize that this will change my life forever.
I was in the hospital for three months. Everyone treated me so well. I felt like I was surrounded by a lot of love.
In the hospital, I did a lot of physiological exercises for recovery. I started learning to walk as a baby. Fortunately, I have such an optimistic character that I didn’t mind being a beginner again. By the time I left, I was already able to walk freely by myself. Although I walk slowly, I am improving day by day, but my right arm can only move slightly. I know there will be a long way behind.
I also started training my left hand to do what I used to do with my right hand. After a month, I could already draw pretty well. So I started drawing sketches of the staff around me in the hospital without making them aware of it. Because they are very nice people. I thought they must be angels guarding me. I wanted to thank them in my own way.
It has been three months since I came home from the hospital. I only went into my workshop once. With the help of my wife, we took some photos of my new works. I still love what I’ve done before. But I think I have to stop for a moment, because I know there is one more lesson I have to learn. Before I left the workshop, I seriously said to myself, “I’ll be back”.
Then I spent all my time on my daily recovery exercises. A few weeks ago, as I was holding my wife’s hand while walking in the park, I watched an enchanting sunset. It’s a touching moment that I can’t resist. I feel so blessed to have such a life. I have everything I should have. I love everything that has happened to me. It teaches me that life is always beautiful if we feel grateful. Then I began to enjoy the slow life and the deep observation of things. Perhaps this is a chance for me to slow my steps, take care of the people I love, and prepare for another journey. How wonderful it is to have a second life.
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