Not an Artist
a photo book by anson chan and grace chan
Not an Artist
Not an Artist
(a collection of photography work from my dad & me)
Anson Chan & Grace Chan
Copyright © 2020 by Grace Chan All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Request,” at the address below. Not Cheap Art 196-59 69th Ave, #2/F Fresh Meadows, NY 11365 www.gracechandesign.com Ordering Information: Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address above. Orders by U.S. trade bookstores and wholesalers. Please contact Grace Chan: Tel: (347) 993-9167 or visit www.gracechandesign.com. Printed in the United States of America First Edition
For my parents, Anson and Gloria.
by (self-proclaimed artist) Grace Chan
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
1. “We still have no idea where you two (my sister and I) got your virtuoso from.� I remember my dad once told me this, self-effacingly. My dad has a passion for photography, but he never regarded himself as a photographer or an artist of any kind. I would like to change his mind with this compilation of his work and mine.
/ 14
Dad Tokyo, Japan 1993
/ 17
Me Budapest, Hungary 2019
Dad Beijing, China ~1980s
/ 19
Me Queens, New York 2019
Me Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2019
/ 21
Dad Rome, Italy 1987
Me Budapest, Hungary 2019
/ 23
/23 /23
/ 25
Dad Pisa, Italy 1987
2. My father and I share a strange bond. We are what people might call diametric opposites. He is more the introvert. He plays by the book and prefers the numbers to words. I am not at all like that and oftentimes we wrangle. That’s why I never found commonalities between us. It wasn’t until later that, in so many ways, we do. We have similar taste in music, movies and share the same passion towards film photography. Perhaps that was the reason my dad gifted me my first Minolta - knowing I will finally find our connection.
/ 27 Dad Macau, China ~1980s
Dad Hong Kong, Hong Kong ~1980s
/ 29
Me Lower East Side, New York 2019
/ 31
Dad Hong Kong, Hong Kong ~1990s
Me Prague, Czech Republic 2019
/ 33
Dad Tokyo, Japan 1993
/ 35
Dad Paris, France 1987
Dad Hong Kong, Hong Kong 1993
/ 37
Me Lower East Side, New York 2019
Dad Rome, Italy 1987
/ 39
Me Prague, Czech Republic 2019
Me Gaithersburg, Maryland 2020
/ 41
Dad Hong Kong, Hong Kong 1987
Dad Las Vegas, Nevada 1995
/ 43
Me Prague, Czech Republic 2019
/ 45
Dad Beijing, China ~1980s
/ 47
Me Hong Kong, Hong Kong 2018
Dad Hong Kong, Hong Kong 1994
/ 49
Me Governors Island, New York 2019
3. I remember Bob Ross was always on the TV when I was younger. He used to say “I think there’s an artist hidden at the bottom of every single one of us,” on the show. As a guy who worked in the IT business his entire life, my Dad is now a freshly retired 60 year old man. He’s recently got into drawing. The most recent time we saw each other in New York, he gifted me a roll of Egyptian papyrus paper, which allows you to reuse it-drawing after drawing. I think his hidden artist is showing, he just doesn’t know it yet.
/ 51
Dad Beijing, China ~1990s
/ 53
Dad Beijing, China ~1990s
Me Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2019
/ 55
Me Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2019
Dad Vancouver, Canada 1995
/ 57
Me Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 2020
/ 59
“I think there’s an artist hidden at the bottom of every single one of us.” Bob Ross
/ 61
Dad Paris, France 1987
Dad -1995
/ 63
Me Central, Hong Kong 2018
/ 65
Dad Macau, China ~1980s
Dad Hong Kong, Hong Kong 2001
/ 67
Me Hong Kong, Hong Kong 2018
Me Brooklyn, New York 2020
/ 69
/ 71
Dad Shanghai, China ~1980s
Me Washington, D.C. 2020
/ 73
Dad Paris, France 1987
/ 75
Me New York, New York 2019
/ 77
Me New York, New York 2019
Thank You! For a long time, my dad made it a routine weekend project to spend hours behind the negative scanner developing his films. Slowly but surely, he’d return to the task and, after years, he’s finally finished scanning over 3000 photographs. He recently gave both my sister and me a copy of them all. It now serves as the main material for this photobook. I hope you appreciate these photographs as much as I do. I think they not only tell time, but also tell a story of life and missed opportunity that’s relatable to too many of us. If you’re still hesitant about pursuing a dream of yours, this a sign for you to go after it! A special thank you to the ones who believe in me and made this possible -I love and appreciate you! Love, Grace xx
/ 79
Me (Left to Right) Hong Kong, Hungary, U.S. 2018,2019,2020
/ 81
/ 83
Dad (Left to Right) Hong Kong, Korea Hong Kong 2002,2002,2001
Dad Washingotn, DC 1995
/ 85
Me Washingotn, DC 2020
Dad Hong Kong, Hong Kong ~1980s
/ 87
Me Fort Worth, Texas 2019
Me Edingburgh, Scotland 2019
/ 89
Dad Beijing, China ~1980s
Me Home Kong, Home Kong 2018
/ 91
Me Mum and Dad, Hong Kong 2018
/ 93
Wedding Day & Honeymoon
1987
/ 95
Family Photo
My sister Daisy & I
Seoul, Korea 2002
Hong Kong, Hong Kong 2002
Special thanks to Daisy for inspiring me to make this book.
The artist behind it all, my dad.
First Edition Copyright © 2020 by Grace Chan