Q: How did you come up with your artist name?
My parents did. Wong Ting Fung (黃鼎豐) is my Chinese name. I wanted to keep it simple and relevant and I thought it was unique because each characters is symmetrical. I also go by Uncle Mary which is my Instagram handle. Yes, Mary is my English name and I recently just became an uncle!
Q: Which part of Hong Kong did you grow up ?
I was born and raised in Kwai Tsing. The district use to be separated as Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi, now the name is shortened to Kwai Tsing.
Q: What inspired your art piece?
The idea of Stock Market with a wacky twist. Hong Kong people are very knowledgeable of the stock market in comparison to other financial hubs. Almost everyone I know have had experience with investing in stock – even my aunt and grandma. The Bull and Bear are derived from how the animals attack their opponents. The bull will thrust its horn up in the air while the bear will swipe down. It relates metaphorically to the movement of the market. Calligraphy was added to this because I wanted to bring back putting text on an art piece like how it was before. I’ve also added strokes from Chinese characters as separation of the collage.
Q: What is the best part about being an artist?
Having the creative freedom of doing what I want and expressing my thoughts with art.
Q: What are some of your favorite local eats?
Because of it’s history, I feel like Hong Kong cuisine is really a mixing pot of a lot of other cuisine and culture from surrounding areas of China, including Western inspirations from British food as well. Hong Kong cuisine is fusion in itself. I do enjoy local dessert soups because where can you find dessert that also has health benefits? For example, red bean sweet soup! Red beans are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is believed to reduce water bloat, eliminate skin heat and toxins and help with weight loss.