Creating a sense of motion with nothing but a still image takes some real talent. Thai illustrator Song Chuaynukoon has perfected this technique. The energy in his work is undeniable, whether it be characters soaring through time and space or an explosion ripping through the scene—everything moves without moving. Sometimes all it takes is a composition that channels the eye in the exact direction he wishes. Even calm scenes retain that sense of motion, albeit to more subtle ends, like a lonely astronaut floating in the isolation of outer space, the pull of gravity palpable.
以静止的图像营造动感并非易事，而这正是泰国插画家 Song Chuaynukoon 所擅长的事。笔触之间的能量往往溢出屏幕，无论是穿梭时空的战士，还是极度撕裂的爆炸场景，都动感十足。他的作品，能让观众的眼球随着线条溜进他构建的世界。即便在冷静克制的场景中，也能通过色彩与轮廓间的微妙处理，令观众察觉到动感的鼻息。
Chuaynukoon comes from a creative family, with relatives on his mom’s side involved in architecture, sound engineering, and video editing, but he says even they don’t fully understand his line of work. “At first, they were very concerned with my career choice. But as time goes by they’ve become more understanding. They trust me now.” He studied to become a graphic designer at university only to discover that it wasn’t for him. So he went back to the literal drawing board to practice sketching until he felt confident, and his MeetMrTwo alias was born.
Song 来自一个创意行业家庭，家里有从事建筑设计、音响工程和视频编辑的亲戚，但他说家人有时并不能完全理解他在做的事。“最早他们都很担心我在的这个行业。不过慢慢地，他们也理解了许多。”他在大学的时候本打算成为一名平面设计师，却发现自己并不适合。于是才决定学画，直到对自己水平有足够自信之后，Song 正式以 MeetMrTwo 名字出道。
Some of Chuaynukoon’s most impressive pieces are collage-like, with dense layers of visuals piled on top of each other. Intricate machinery, mythical beasts, and children’s toys seem to battle for space within his compositions. “Playing with old toys and games as a kid was really consoling to me and drawing them brings me back.” These warm childhood memories are now blended with more adult scenes of Thai nightlife and urban violence. This ties in with an overt appreciation for Akira’s Otomo Katsuhiro, one of his biggest inspirations, and is an artist that very famously uses toys in somewhat twisted ways.
仔细观察，你会发现 Song 的作品有点接近拼贴艺术 —— 视觉元素纵横交错、繁复的机械构造以及各种各种神兽和儿童玩具充斥其中。“重温儿时的玩具和电子游戏总能平复我创作时的焦虑，现在把它们画下来让我仿佛回到那个梦幻的年代。”他在作品中将这些温暖的童年记忆与泰国夜生活和城市暴力等场景交织在一起。与此同时，还贯穿着他对《阿基拉》作者大友克洋的钟情，这位日本动画导演和漫画家是他最主要的灵感之一，大友克洋就曾屡次在创作中以出人意料的方式加入玩具元素。
With the Thai democracy movement in full swing, Chuaynukoon has become more explicit in his political beliefs, which partially explains the darker turn his style has taken. Powerful images of angry crowds railing against corruption and a lack of agency stand alongside more graceful, comical pieces in his catalog. Is he afraid that he might get in trouble? “A little bit,” he laughs. “But if you still ignore the problem that’s happening right now, eventually the problem will be coming to you.”
随着泰国民主运动愈演愈烈，Song 用艺术的方式表达着自己的立场，这也是他的创作风格开始日益暗黑化的原因之一。在他的作品目录中，愤怒的人物角色抨击了腐败与混乱的政治局势，他们都被精致、奔放的漫画式线条包裹。当问及他是否害怕惹上麻烦时，他笑着说道：“如果你一味忽略眼前的问题，你等待的将会是最严厉的审判。”
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Contributor: Mike Steyels
Chinese Translation: Olivia Li
