10 Questions with Fan de Fantástica

Fan de Fantástica is a Film Director, Collage Maker, and Multi-Talented Artist currently based in Madrid, Spain, where she is developing new films & art projects.

Born into a family of university professors, both of Fan's parents are heavy machinery engineers & musicians. She began to learn classical music from a very early age and achieved excellent results in piano and Olympic Mathematical competitions. 

Fan went to Beijing Film Academy (Film Sound & Music Design B.F.A., 2002 - 2006) and London Film School (Filmmaking M.A., 2007 - 2010). She has worked on more than 40 feature films, short films and documentaries, including an Academy Awards (Oscars) nominated production and a 3D IMAX blockbuster movie. While studying in London, she was also working in theatres including the Royal Opera House and the O2 Arena.

She studied Luxury Bag Design in HFFA (Milan), Professional Photography at Efti (Madrid), and flamenco dress-making in Seville. Fan is also a traditional tea artist and a classical ballet dancer.

She has exhibited her collage artwork at Matadero Madrid. AEC (Spanish Association of Directors and Directors of Photography) was one of her clients. She was the winner of Artsjobs: Artist of the Month (Oct 2020).

fandefantastica.com | @fan.de.fantastica

ARTIST STATEMENT

In her funky, playful, and over the top imaginary world of mixed media collages, there are numerous details of traditional far east philosophies and contemporary western point of views, mixing with music, Science Fiction, poems, industrial engineering, dancing, mathematics, natural sciences, manga, street art, and many other seemingly unrelated cultures. One way or another, she has mixed all her 'weird' personal experiences into her collage creations. One piece of collage is like a full-length film. Each element is like a single shot (in the film). She selects each element carefully and composes them in a certain way, to make the final piece tells a complete, meaningful yet fun story.

INTERVIEW

You are a Film Director, Collage Maker, and Multi-Talented Artist. What is your favorite experience so far as an artist?

A noisy street market in Asia, Mozart, a pig, outer space, flowers in the hair of a young girl, and a nap in a summer afternoon, all these random things have many connections in my mind, and they all together compose a marvelous imaginary world. The presentation of this world can be a collage, a film, a piece of music, or any other form of art.

I absolutely love all of them. And I am having so much fun mixing different elements together and create something mine. There is actually no boundary in the imaginary worlds.

For example, in one of the short films I am developing now, which is an absurd comedy titled "Una comedia muy moderna" (A Very Modern Comedy), a group of women in a small village in Spain from the 18th century has a DIY coffin club. In the meantime, the potatoes are having a very well-organized sex trading network that humans have no idea about.

You also have collected a great number of experiences, in terms of career. Tell us about your background and past projects.

I was really lucky to get into the best film schools when I was very young and be surrounded by many wonderful filmmakers since then. I started working in the film industry when I was still in school, not only as a director but also in the departments of cinematography, production, sound, music, art direction, visual effects, and acting in several countries.

I believe that, technically, a good director needs to communicate with different departments using their own languages; and artistically, a good director needs to truly experience life.

Talking about experiencing life, one funny story. When during a documentary shooting many years ago, I was sleeping on the floor in a shed, in the middle of the mountains. The floor was made of very old wood planks, and underneath there was a pigsty with a bunch of very naughty pigs. And one night, the wooden planks cracked…

How much of your life and work experiences go into your work? How much do they influence your art?

I throw myself 100% into anything I do. So, all of them, I would say.
All my weird experiences, one way or another, are hidden or shown in my art. On the other hand, my art affects the way I create my films and the way I am living. The dynamic between them changes depending on different times, though.

What are the main themes behind your collage series?

My curiosity and fascination about humans and the world.

At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, it was heartbreaking to see a huge and deep gap filling with misunderstandings and pains between the western world and the eastern world, although we all live on earth. But I also saw that we were sharing the same pain of losing families, worrying about our kids, and the same love between couples. We could/can be connected by very basic human relationships, crossing different ways of thinking, different histories, different languages, or different lifestyles. For me it was magical.

I am deeply in love with all human cultures and relationships because they are powerful and beautiful. I mix them into the collages (and films) in my own way, so each of the series or single piece can show an individual imaginary world and be strongly connected with humans.

What aspect of your work do you pay particular attention to?

Time, layers of meaning/metaphors, and colours.
Time. Because I tell stories in my art, my collages, and my films. One individual defamation is created carefully for that purpose.
Layers of meaning/metaphors. Almost everything in my art and films has hidden meanings. It could be a dialogue that is waiting to be discovered by someone at some moment, or a monologue that I am screaming to myself.
Colours. I collect different colours and patterns in my visual library. I love playing with colours.

Where do you find inspiration for your work, and what is your creative process like?

The inspiration comes to me usually.
During my creating process, I listen to music, from atonality to classical, hip hop to Noh.

What do you see as the strengths of your project, visually or conceptually?

For the moment, I am making mistakes, learning from my mistakes, and constantly challenging myself both technically and artistically.
I believe for my art, my collages, and my films, there is still quite a big space to grow, both visually and conceptually.

We all had a lot of free time over the past few months, and some of us dedicated it to discovering new artists. Did you find any positive change in the approach people have to art now, compared to last year?

It has been a very challenging time for all of us. It is also a time to talk to ourselves, be aware of those things we've ignored before, take risks, unite with others, and find strength in something new.

I am excited to see so many new virtual galleries. I think that's definitely a positive change. They are providing more opportunities and platforms to the artists.

Are you working on any new project right now? Any exciting project or collaboration you would like to share with our readers?

Of course! I am creating a series of collages called Imaginary Power. At the moment, I am still in a very early stage, and I am constructing the first layer of the meanings. The word 'imaginary power' can be read in a political, mathematical, or physical way. And for this series, it can also be read as a personal word.

As a super fan of José Luis Cuerda and Monty Python, I am developing an absurd comedy. It is a feature film. Also, I am working on a story of a fantasy TV series. I am very excited to work with my team and build some amazing worth-telling stories together.

Finally, what are your plans for the future? What do you think (and wish) the future holds for us?

Oh, my plan is to be me and keep on dancing, following the waves of time!