Bobby Kim Ling Chen is a Canadian Digital Artist residing in Hong Kong.
He creates arresting images by exploiting the features of our design and 3D software programs in unexpected ways. In this interview, he talks about his background, his process, and some of the artists who inspire him.

Image courtesy of Bobby Kim Ling Chen

SAH: Can you use 3 words to describe your work?

Light, Space, Time.

 SAH: Can you give our readers some background on your art? How did you get started?

I am not the artist I always wanted to be since childhood. Instead, I was trained in Accountancy (which I call logic), obtained my Master's degree in Business  Administration (MBA), and became CFOs or C-level Executive for many well-known multinationals with operations in Asia, in particularly China for many years.

At some point in my career path, I branched out into Information Technology (IT) and web design and capitalised on an interest I have in computer and digital science, and technology during my university days.

Then came the “rude awakening”.

I suddenly noticed that “technology” actually creeps in and takes control of our daily lives, unknowingly to many. And that includes arts.

Already the world is accepting the application of digital science to traditional arts, which has created a hybrid known as “Digital Arts”, although more in the processing/production side, and relatively lesser in terms of presentation. And many would easily accept photography and videography as part of the digital art phenomenon.

Against a backdrop of self-taught traditional art since a kid, along with the ability to pick up software skills and follow them through “logically” in terms of learning and in applications become a natural way for me to venture into the world of Digital Arts.

In many respects, my digital artworks fall exactly into the definition of “digital arts”, which is understood by many as “artistic work or practice that uses digital technology as part of the creative or presentation process”, just that my approach could even be more futuristic.

Bobby Kim Ling Chen. Cyber Affairs.

SAH: How do you go about transforming an idea into a digital piece?

The foundation of arts is based on creativities and/or imagination. I believe digital science is a vehicle that takes traditional arts to a place where imaginations and creativities exist, to capture and realize them in the form of art.

Whereas traditional arts may take longer to complete, digital arts (excluding digital painting) may have a high failure-to-complete rate because of the lack of available digital elements (governed by copyright laws) and/or software and programming methods to achieve the end results. In short, digital arts are highly generative and/or derivative-dependent.

Generative and/or derivative arts may require multiple processes and iterations before the processed digital elements could be “gathered” on a “canvas-like” software to complete as an artwork, in terms of organisation and aesthetic approval.

By means of a purposely-made simple example, let’s say I want to create an abstract of “fire and rain”. I may have in my possession a picture of a fire and a picture of rain. These are my digital elements.

They both would have to go through multiple processes and iterations (hence generative and/or derivative) before they are put in the shapes, colours, attributes, etc., that I want them to be before sticking it on canvas, largely for organisation and aetheric results.

(Note that the project would fail if somehow I do not have the digital elements in the first place and/or the processes are not available to give the correct results).

SAH: Who are your biggest influences? Is there a particular artist that inspired your practice?

Whenever I got excited discussing digital arts I always like to mention the following inspirators. They are artists that may or may not have been involved with digital arts. However, their sayings and artworks which bought illusions and fun factors to arts, in the style of traditional 2D/3D media arts, gave me the courage to be nonconventional too:

• Sergi Cadenas for his illusory, dual-image portraits

• Patrick Hughes for his “Reverspective” concept

• Michael Murphy for her perceptual 3D art

• Nina Paley for her saying that “All Creative Work Is Derivative”, and her animations.

Bobby Kim Ling Chen. Fetching The Stars.

Bobby Kim Ling Chen.

SAH: What kind of impact do you hope that your work has?

Despite technology taking over the world and its impact on the arts, I feel that digital arts are still new to many and are only gradually making their way to full acceptance. For one, digital arts are still considered second class to traditional visual arts using canvas, brushes, pencils and paper, and to photography.

Firstly, there is the psychological factor.
Whereas most traditional 2D arts are tangible items with frames, digital arts are normally intangible and could be displayed directly from computer screens or monitors. This “formless feel” could devalue not only the value of the artwork itself but also the seriousness of even considering digital art as art in the first place.

That is why there are some serious digital artists that put their artworks on digital frames and ship them as “physical” art to overcome this hurdle.

Secondly, there is always the comfort zone factor.
Instead of venturing out into the unknown and start establishing a new set of rules to judge the worth and values of digital arts (particularly in competitions), some galleries just conveniently include them as acceptable mediums but without an independent category for them to be evaluated on. This approach is detrimental to the growth of digital arts as it is only human for us “to pick the sweetest and familiar fruits for consumption, let alone the healthy values of some unknown fruits”, as an analogy.

Some galleries also used rules that may apply to 2D traditional arts across the board in competition without the intention nor realizing it may inevitably hinder the growth of digital arts. For example, they disallow watermarks or signs on the artwork.

Unfortunately, QR codes or AR markers, are the best technologies that could be used by digital artists to extend expressions and communications (for now) beyond the realm of their original art pieces,  look like watermarks and are therefore disqualified.

In the ocean of beautiful art, I am but a needle and I do not believe my work could impact anything. However, I am a firm believer that “it is the evolution that adds improvements to mankind and not revolution (as in turning)”.
I hope to be at the forefront of digital arts evolutions that bring about the following:

• Realisation that digital arts are here to stay.
  As we speak, art galleries are already being built in the metaverse, beyond the “virtual exhibitions” we just barely stepped a foot in. And in other extremes, the emergence of “AI Artists” has already surfaced.

•  Acceptance of digital science into arts would eventually bring about a paradigm switch as to how arts would be appreciated in the future, particularly in presentation. For example, expression may no longer need to be confined to the creative itself as additional elements of surprise, participation, interaction, engagement, etc., may now be “extended” outside the realm of the original creation with the help of technology onto other “digital devices” such as mobile phones, VR glasses, etc.

• Use of Digital Arts as any decorative items at the workplace and home, be it printed, displayed on a digital frame, or projector. Alongside many forward-looking digital artists, I wish to push the idea that digital art as seen through the projector’s projection on the wall is as good as, if not better than “framed art”, since projection dimension could be easier to adjust and the cost of a projector could actually be cheaper than a picture frame, depending on its size.

  If this approach were successful, visual arts are no longer confined to a canvas. I am hopeful that the owner of a digital art piece would one day be as proud to show off his or her collection on a projector as an owner would of his traditional art piece on a frame.

• Further and futuristic application of digital arts. With the acceptance of projectors being used as a method of displaying digital art, digital art may be in the position to make yet another futuristic advancement milestone.
  For example, hologram images displayed on wearables, talking artwork displayed on mobile phones, etc.

• Perception and perceived value of digital arts as collectable items. Similar to the traditional arts that are sold as decorative/commodity items and those being perceived as collectable items, I wish the same for digital items and that there is indeed a value in keeping them as investments/collectables.

• Exhibitors to accept projectors, digital frames, and computer monitors, as possible equipment to display digital art in addition to framed prints. Better still, that the exhibitors would help digital artists out by renting out this equipment at affordable costs during the exhibitions.

Bobby Kim Ling Chen. Floating Tulips.

SAH: What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?

“Yesteryear’s nonconventional could be today’s contemporary, and may even be tomorrow’s glory”.
Time changes everything. We realise it but have never learned from it. Hence, be bold, be daring, be yourself and do your best.

SAH: What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?

What happened to the poor artist? As kids, most of us were told that being an artist would not earn us bread. Perhaps that is still true but I could see another dimension of being a “current-day” artist.

To that dimension, a new question should be posed: “Who is the rich artist?”. One would soon realise to be a successful “current-day” artist is more difficult than being a poor artist in the past as the rich artist needs to be:

• Socially astute, and actively involved in most of the internet social platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Discord, etc

• Own a website and have some knowledge of SEO (i.e., Search Engine Optimisation)

• Able to write professionally

• Has the wallet to entertain the world with exhibitions and shows

• Be a good marketing person

The irony is all the activities mentioned for a “rich artist” has nothing to do with a “real artist”, defined here as one who is only interested in creating art pieces, just like me. For the same reasons, these activities are the ones I need support most.

I realised from my past life that “nothing is free in this world” and I am willing to share a large portion of my profits with whoever that wants to play the “rich artist” role on my behalf first. But even that is hard to come by.

SAH: What are you working on at the moment?

I believe digital science and technologies should be explored and used daringly to the fullest, not only to bring out the aesthetic of arts but in artwork production and presentation as well. That is why at least 30% of my “work time” is spent on researching and testing new techniques, software, programming, etc.

Currently, 3D modelling, holograms, virtual reality, and video AI (possible impacts on arts) are areas of interest to me now.

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