Artist Nelson Cabán
Few artists could boast of being both young enough to do a childhood retrospective on the 1980s, and good enough to have their work hand-picked by Barack Obama for his personal collection. But Nelson Cabán is no run-of-the-mill painter. His work is as colorful as it is political, and he sat down with Sean Hebert to discuss his philosophy of art, his inspirations and his observations on life in Hong Kong.
HK Magazine: What was your motivation for doing your exhibition, “Full Blown 80s”?
Nelson Cabán: I started with a collage of all these logos and symbols—Ninja Turtles, Duck Hunt—and it was based on my remembering of the greatness and innocence of the 80s. There weren’t as many distractions. We didn’t have cell phones, we didn’t have iPads. We didn’t even have computers. I have younger siblings and I sometimes wonder, “What’s their Ninja Turtles?” Is it Angry Birds? I mean, we had Nintendo and arcade games. What are they going to say today? “Oh… I had an app.” There’s a different attachment that certain generations had with cultural items that I think is being lost or weakened.
HK: Your collection includes a painting of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Are you influenced by his work?
NC: Yeah. I had a great mentor who showed me his work when I was about 17 or 18, and I thought it was amazing. I mean, now there are Reebok sneakers with his name on them and it’s kind of pop art in a way, but in 2000 no one really knew about Basquiat. It wasn’t major. I think he’s definitely an influence in that he’s from New York, he was part Puerto Rican, and that showed me that somebody from that same environment can make an impact on the art world. Growing up, I didn’t really have role models who looked like me. I had Rembrandt and Goya and all these great masters, but then I look in the mirror: I don’t see Goya or Rembrandt.
HK: You’ve been here two years. Before you leave Hong Kong, do you think you’ll create some pieces that reflect the culture or politics of this city?
NC: I do want to do a political piece that speaks to Hong Kong because I have a lot to say about it, but I haven’t done it yet.
HK: Do issues surrounding the recent ruling on the right of abode for domestic helpers speak to you?
NC: I have friends who are from here, and I ask them [questions about the ruling] because there has to be a rationale behind it. I just don’t get it. I guess it comes from the idea that “white is right, lighter is better,” so they don’t see [helpers] on the same plane. But if someone has been here watching someone’s kids for 15 years, then let them get some damn benefits. I think it’s horrible enough that they have to be outside on the weekend. I mean, it’s their day off and I am sure a lot of them might want to be there, but by law they have to be outside of the house on their days off. Why force people to be treated like that? It just doesn’t create a harmonious society. There’s a disconnect. When you see things like this, you realize this is not an integrated, multicultural society. It’s very stratified. It’s very hierarchical.