Over recent years, artist Ton Mak has rallied together a friendly cohort of chubby creatures in her FLABJACKS universe. The latest additions to her imaginary world consist of Sausages From Around the World, a group of emotional sausages hailing from different backgrounds; Fanana, a crew of friendly banana creatures; and Pansy in Pants, who’s described as “an introvert who struggles to change out of her favorite pair of XXXXL underpants.” Having lived solely within the confines of Ton’s sketchbook for the past two years, Pansy in Pants and Sausages From Around the World have recently made their debut at Tales of Creatures From Quite Far Away, Ton’s solo exhibition in Shenyang 1905 Cultural and Creative Park.
近年来，香港视觉艺术家Ton Mak用一系列胖乎乎的可爱角色打造出她的 FLABJACKS世界。这个充满奇妙想象力的世界最近又迎来了新成员：《Sausages From Around the World》（来自世界各地的香肠），这是她根据不同文化背景和深层情感因素创作的香肠形象；《Fanana》，一群可爱的香蕉；以及《Pansy in Pants》，这是“一个内向的姑娘，一直努力减肥想要换掉她最爱的那条XXXXL号裤子”。在创作了两年之后，《Pansy in Pants》和《Sausages From Around the World 》最近终于从Ton Mak的绘画本中走出来，在沈阳1905文化创意园举办的Ton Mak作品展“来自平行世界的小胖团”（Tales of Creatures From Quite Far Away）中首次亮相。
Aside from the abundance of creativity displayed throughout Ton’s work, the most admirable aspect of her art is its sheer purity. FLABJACKS was originally a simple doodling exercise that acted as a form of stress relief. It’s now grown into a world of its own, filled with goofy, plump creatures who are all eager to share their own stories. Despite the success of FLABJACKS and the opportunities that have followed, Ton’s motivation doesn’t stem from the superficial pursuits of fame or money. The ultimate goal for her is and has always been to see people who meet her FLABJACKS characters leave with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.
Ton Mak的作品除了展示出极其丰富的是想象力之外，更令人赞赏的是其极为纯粹的风格。最初，FLABJACKS只是她为了缓解压力，随意绘画的涂鸦。之后就像滚雪球一般，慢慢独成一体，形成一个独特的世界，里面充满了胖乎乎的角色，蠢萌蠢萌的，各自分享着有趣的故事。虽然FLABJACKS大获成功，但名声和金钱从来都不是Ton Mak创作的动力。她的最终目标是让大家感受到她在FLABJACKS角色中带来的那份温暖和舒心感。
By placing the chubby creatures of her FLABJACKS world in familiar scenarios we can all relate to, Ton playfully captures the happiness and drawbacks of everyday life. This is most evident in the newly released Pansy in Pants, which acutely portrays the joys of lazing around at home as well as the anxiety-ridden moments of self-reflection. Fanana and Sausages From Around the World similarly feature personable characters with relatable stories, but these two series touch on the idea of animism, a topic of interest to Ton. Animism is the belief that living beings and inanimate objects alike all have a unique spiritual essence of their own. By reimagining and personifying mundane items and foods as adorable creatures, Ton hopes to redefine the notion of what can be constituted as being truly “alive.”
她把FLABJACKS世界中那些胖乎乎的角色，置于能让观众产生共鸣的熟悉场景中，以幽默风趣的方式，去捕捉平凡生活中的幸福和挫折。这一点在她最新发布的《Pansy in Pants》系列中尤其明显。这一系列敏锐地描绘出宅在家中的慵懒生活所带来的乐趣，以及在自我反省时所产生的焦虑感。而《Fanana》和《Sausages From Around the World》同样呈现了十分可爱的角色，讲述令人产生共鸣的故事，此外还探讨了Ton Mak个人崇尚的“万物皆有灵”的观念，她相信，生命体和无生命的物体一样都有着自己独特的精神。通过将日常的物品和食物幻化成可爱的角色，她希望能够重新定义“生命”的真正意义。
Lately, Ton has begun experimenting with introducing a tactile component into her work. At her recent shows, this has been presented in the form of FLABJACKS plushies and bean bags. Her latest interactive offering comes in the form of What’s his face, a pink, furry wall with a friendly face that greets visitors to her Shenyang exhibition, beckoning them to step up and give it a good pet. “It’s sort of like giving a friend a pat on the back,” Ton explains the concept with a giggle.
最近，Ton Mak开始试验创作可触的实物作品。在最近的展览中，她以绒毛公仔和豆袋来呈现出FLABJACKS世界。她最新的交互式作品包括《What’s his face》，一面毛茸茸的粉红色墙壁，上面有一只萌萌的大脸，这是用来迎接她在沈阳举办的展览的观众们，可以直接走近并摸摸这面墙壁。“就像在拍朋友的肩一样。”Ton Mak 笑着解释作品背后的概念。
You can pet the furry wall and experience the whimsical world of the FLABJACKS in person at Tales of Creatures From Quite Far Away, which will be on display at Shenyang 1905 Cultural and Creative Park until January 25th, 2017. For more details about the event, click here or check below.
“来自平行世界的小胖团”展览将于沈阳1905年文化创意园一直开展到2017年1月25日。马上亲临现场，亲自抚摸一下那面毛茸茸的墙壁，体验充满奇思妙想的FLABJACKS世界。有关此次活动的更多详细信息，请点击此处或浏览下方信息。
Event: Tales of Creatures From Quite Far Away
Exhibition Dates: December 1st, 2017 ~ January 15th, 2018
Hours: 10:00am ~ 19:05 PM
Address:
Shenyang 1905 Cultural and Creative Park
No. 8 Xinghua North Street
Tiexi District, Shenyang
People’s Republic of China
Website: www.flabjacks.com
Facebook: ~/flabjacksart
Instagram: @flabjacks
Weibo: ~/flabjacks
WeChat: flabjacks
Contributor: David Yen
Images & Footage Courtesy of Ton Mak & Shenyang 1905 Cultural and Creative Park
活动: “来自平行世界的小胖团”
展期: 2017年12月1日 —— 2018年1月15日
时间: 早上10:00 至晚上 7:05
地址:
中国
沈阳市铁西区
兴华北街8号
铁西1905创意文化园
网站: www.flabjacks.com
脸书: ~/flabjacksart
Instagram: @flabjacks
微博: ~/flabjacks
微信: flabjacks
