2012 is lurking on the horizon, some of you kind ladies and gents may already be experiencing the first seconds, minutes and hours of the New Year. For some of us, we are relishing in the final few that remain of 2011.
I think the general consensus is that 2011 was a bitch.
A year full of social and economic difficulties for many cultures on all continents. Artistic communities from all walks of life, embraced these changes and used them as fuel to do evermore impactful work.
A prime example is the gifted Mr. Dong Dong Chou of Beijing. For Dong Dong, a tattoo artist by trade, this year meant publishing a hard cover book titled Chinese Foo Dog that features an impressive collection of his paintings and drawings of the mythological animal. He created the book expressly for the international tattoo community and the project marks the first time a Chinese publisher has produced a high-quality art boo for that market. (TATTOO | December 2011)
Mr. Chou believes that today, there is a unique sense of interconnectedness among young people living in urban areas. Images and ideas are shared digitally between these communities through blogs, websites and e-mails. Tech savvy youth in China experience a world that their parents never dreamt would exist. Trendy activities like tattooing have caught the eye of young Chinese who are experimenting with a new globalized sense of self. (Dong Dong | 2011)
Consumed by the bubble that is the American dream, I find DDs perspective to be unconditionally refreshing and serves as a reminder that we are all masters of our fate. No matter what the circumstance.
His intellectual sense of self is likewise reflected in his work. Foo dog or not, Mr. Chou is truly a master of the medium. His work simply speaks for itself.
Cheers to the last daily obsession of 2011: Mr. Dong Dong Chou. Youre my hero.
http://www.mummy-tattoo.com/