Li Yan Wong

Hace unos días me encontraba curioseando GIFs e ilustraciones de skate en tumblr y me topé que había varias similares -seguramente tú también las has visto-. Entonces me metí al perfil de quien las hace y me topé con que era una chica llamada Li Yan Wong aka djonk. Decidí hacer un Q&A con esta chica bien cool para conocer más el por qué de su trabajo y esto platicamos.

I grew up in Singapore and moved to Melbourne, Australia in 2014 to study, and I’ve been here ever since. I dislike calling myself an artist because I don’t believe I am one, I just do what makes me happy.

I was first introduced to skateboarding by my brother when I was about 8-9 years old. He’s 5 years older than I am and skated as a teenager. We used to share a bedroom so I’d watch skate videos with him or watch him play Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 on PC.

2. Where did you have the need of making illustrations/GIFs of skateboarding? Since when you’ve made them?

The first GIF I ever made (the skate bowl) was something I did for a school project last year. We were supposed to create a personal portfolio website, and I drew up that GIF and used the different characters as navigation buttons. I never ended up using that website, but I really liked how the GIF turned out so I just kept doing it.

3. Do you consider that your GIFs can motive people (especially the one that is on Tumblr) to do skateboarding?

I don’t know, but I hope so. I think anything can motivate people to skate, even something as basic as needing a mode of transportation.

4. What do you mean in “(art)…Other than making unnecessary gifs of gifs.”? I do all sorts of other things besides making GIFs. I actually rarely make GIFs because of how much time and effort it requires. I used to work with ink and paper a lot, but these days I’m really enjoying painting on old skateboards.

5. I saw that you threw and exhibition called “Fuck Yall”. What was all about? What did you name it like that? Where was it?

“Fuck Yall” was actually my submission for a group art show “Girlhood” in Fitzroy, Victoria. The series depicts a girl breaking free from a cocoon and flying away, symbolising liberation, and saying “fuck you” to everything left behind.

6. How does the idea of drawing on boards come from? It started out as simply as one of my friends giving me three of his old decks to paint on. I really liked it, so I kept doing it. Plus, I like the idea of recycling old decks that would otherwise get dumped into a landfill. Trees died for that shit.

7. I’ve often seen the use of the woman figure in your work, why? It started out as a personal challenge, because I was good at drawing boys but not girls. I drew girls to practice and keep improving on the way I draw the female form. Also, I was taking part in “Girlhood” art shows, which were feminist and girl-themed, so my art had to kind of fit the theme. I’m back on drawing dudes now, though.

8. There are illustrations that shows scenarios where anyone can skate in it, what do you say about that? I think anyone can skate anywhere, on anything. That’s what I really respect about skaters, they’re the most creative people. “Skaters in Santorini” was just my idea of filling a beautiful place with a bunch of dudes skating on and off everything.

9. Which trick would you like to make it GIF? Kyle Walker’s 50-50 down that massive kink rail at the end of Vans’ “No Other Way”. I think it was 64 stairs? That was beyond insane.

10. Do you skate? Where would you like to skate that never been to? This is embarrassing, I can’t really skate. I’ve been learning the past few months, but I’m still terrible. I’d love to go to Leeside in Vancouver and Venice Skatepark in Los Angeles though.