Nadia Cheung

creative portfolio & blog

  • Millennial despair at CCCB’s Constelación gráfica

    Otherwise known in English as Constellation Graphic: Young Women Authors of Avant-garde Comics. Barcelona’s CCCB introduces a group of young Spanish comic artists in an exhibition that explores the world beyond comic books.

    The artists in this exhibition: Bárbara Alca, Marta Cartu, Genie Espinosa, Ana Galvañ, Nadia Hafid, Conxita Herrero, María Medem, Miriampersand, and Roberta Vázquez.

    Each artist has a unique comic style that really complements Instagram’s format when you look at their work. But as Roberta Vázquez mentions in the exhibition, Instagram likely did not think about comics when developing out their social media platform. Ironically, the artists of this exhibition are Millennials and it really shows through their chosen subject matter.

    Millennials (Generation Y) are people born between 1981 and 1996, though people at the polar ends of this demographic cohort would argue otherwise. Together, Millennials are the people facing several challenges in life and are the people we mostly know in life as approaching their 40s and 30s. The idea of buying a house, getting married and having children seem almost unattainable for a cohort so inundated with challenges of financial instability, job insecurity and mental health problems that could possibly be derived from the internet and excessive social media use. There’s also the impending doom of climate change and a Western world that is growing increasingly more intolerant and transgressive to the human freedoms self-expression, self-identity and protest.

    As time goes on, there will likely be more to be said and even more memes to be made of this cultural phenomenon of apathy. But back to this exhibition, which takes you into a colourful world of each artist, and now thinking about it, Constelación gráfica (constellation graphic) could not be a more suitable name for this exhibition.

    From nightmarish Tinder profiles that satirise the type of people you might find, to relatable feminine beauty insecurities, this exhibition is made to be relevant and go beyond your generic meme. It is engaging and thought-provoking, funny yet sad. Constelación gráfica is real life through the mind of an imaginative artist.

    This exhibition is one of the best I’ve been to so far, and there is always something to do or see in Barcelona. So do yourself a favour and check it out before it ends on the 14th May 2023. More information is available here.

  • Why Everything Everywhere All At Once deserves the hype it gets

    Everything Everywhere All At Once has been receiving a lot of attention lately, and with the 2023 Oscars coming up, there are so many great reasons for it to live up to the hype and win. Directed by the Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), the film premiered at the 2022 South by Southwest film festival and has been gaining popularity and appraisal ever since, being the most-awarded film of all time.

    I am usually dubious about films which receive so many accolades, but Everything Everywhere All At Once touches on many subjects that invite deeper cinematic interpretations and critical analysis – which is always a sign of a fantastic film.

    The film’s plot is wrapped in complexity, with different ideas and tangents wrapped together that make it what it is. Evelyn Quan Wang (Michelle Yeoh) is a middle-aged Chinese-American woman working at her family-run laundromat. All of a sudden, Evelyn is thrown into an epic journey where she must jump through different dimensions and parallel universes to save the world.

    Written with the intention that Evelyn has undiagnosed ADHD, while researching the films, Daniel Kwan himself had discovered that he also had ADHD, and for arguments sake, a film like this could only have been created by someone with ADHD. The film also explores complex topics such as existentialism, nihilism and living with a Chinese American identity, and with that, the problems of inter-generational trauma, the struggles of mother-daughter bond and language (English, Cantonese and Mandarin is spoken to different characters in the film).

    While it’s safe to say that the film’s plot is complex, the film’s stunning cinematography and special effects cannot be overlooked either. The world created by the Daniels is visually engaging and chaotic, making use of special effects, slow-motion and montaging the different universes together immerses the audience into the chaos of Evelyn’s mind and experience.

    Other than Evelyn, we have an outstanding performances and on-screen chemistry from a talented cast ensemble. Stephanie Hsu stars as Evelyn’s daughter Joy Wang and simultaneously as the depressed and existentialist villain Jobu Topaki. Jamie Lee Curtis hilariously stars as IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeidre and the many other version of herself in the alternate universes. This film also brought back Ke Quay Quan from retirement as Evelyn’s husband and universe jumping mentor who supersedes his expectations. James Hong, one of the most prolific actors of all time, stars as Gong Gong, Evelyn’s demanding father.

    Everything Everywhere All At Once is a masterpiece that uses the multiverse arc to its advantage to tell a thought-provoking story that will stay with you. While initially we may be reminded of the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Rick and Morty, the Daniels deserve to claim this space as an original film that binds family drama, sci-fi, kung-fu films, fantasy, absurdism and animation altogether for an entertaining experience that is worthy of an Oscar.

    If you haven’t already, make sure you have this movie on your must-watch list now.

  • David Bowie and Dietrich: Misery in Just a Gigolo (1978)

    Set just after the end World War I, Just a Gigolo follows the journey of a young soldier turned drifter in Germany’s deprived capital.

    David Bowie stars as Paul Ambrosius von Przygodski: a young Prussian man with the desire to become a hero and follow after his father’s military career. Instead, he wakes up in bed at a French hospital and everything has changed. The war has ended and it’s time to go back and resume life in Berlin, but how does a man with these ambitions do that without any medal of honour? The clue is in the film’s title.

    For a bit of sociopolitcal context – 1918 was uncertain for men like Paul. Germany’s WW1 surrender plunged the country into hyperinflation, mass unemployment and a complicated democracy. So when Paul is given the opportunity to make money as a gigolo – naturally, he takes it.

    As many men died in combat during the WW1, there was a shortage of men to dance with. Working as a Gigolo became common to amongst young, handsome men to make some money. Although sex was not expected, the gigolos could be paid to go on dates and accompany women, and then one thing could lead to another as long there was money. In fact, the famous Hotel Adlon common place to find Gigolos waiting to accompany women at the time.

    Released in 1978, critical reception for the film was negative. Critics and audiences felt the film lacked substance, and its hard not to disagree with them here. It’s hard to imagine how Just a Gigolo could have done any better with the time period, location and characters.

    A few years following its release, David Bowie said:

    Everybody who was involved in that film – when they meet each other now, they look away [covers face with hands, laughs]… Listen, you were disappointed, and you weren’t even in it. Imagine how we felt… It was my 32 Elvis Presley movies rolled into one .

    NME interview with Angus McKinnon, 1980.

    Despite failing to impress audiences, I think there’s something to be said about bringing Marlene Dietrich out of retirement for $250,000. No longer the fun cabaret performer we’re familiar with like her cinematic debut in The Blue Angel, this is her final appearance in a film.

    The original ‘Just a Gigolo’ song was an Austrian dance number from 1929 and takes us back to a time where people would go to ballrooms to dance and socialise. Here’s an English version of the song.

    1930s Berlin had also flourished into a city famous for its underground nightlife, cabaret and more. It was the same world which introduced us to Marlene Dietrich and made her an icon. Just a Gigolo ‘s plot tries to parallels these Dietrich’s early life with the character of Paul’s on/off love interest, Cilly (Sydne Rome), the cabaret star who goes to Hollywood. Though, unfortunately, this subplot doesn’t do much to save the film drowning its own dreariness.

  • Top things to do during a Frankfurt layover

    Its Germany’s busiest airport and also the largest financial hub in Europe, with the headquarters of the European Union’s central bank. Initial assumptions about Frankfurt are often about its airport and banking located in the city.

    If you’re in for a long flight layover or just passing by, here’s a couple of things to do out in Frankfurt am Main:

    Shopping

    Frankfurt’s MyZeil and the surrounding area is a great place to shop to your heart’s content. There aren’t any unique shops that other cities are missing, but in case you’ve forgotten to pack something in your luggage, its a place worth going for some retail therapy.

    Old town

    Frankfurt’s tiniest district has only recently completed its reconstruction work in 2017. Here, there is the Römer, Römerberg, Kaiserhalle, and Kleinmarkthalle. These consist of old traditional town buildings dating back to the 1400s.

    Kleinmartkthalle is also great market for a bite to eat. You can buy a bunch of specialities too, like Frankfurt’s famous (and tasty) green sauce. If you miss it, you’ll likely find this sauce to accompanying a traditional meal somewhere in this district.

    Apple wine, Apfelwein, or Ebbelwei?

    Venture further down and there is the Altstadt (old town). Traditional German bars will serve the heartiest meals and the famous Ebbelwei of Frankfurt. To get away from the tourist shops, Sachsenhausen is the place to go, and is probably the most traditionally German of areas in Frankfurt with the town dating back to the Middle Ages.

    Goethe’s birthplace

    Let’s time travel to 1749 and head to Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s birthplace and family home in Großer Hirschgraben. This 4+ story house is restored to almost how it was originally left by Goethe’s family when it was sold in the late 1800s.

    This house tour also coincides with Deutsche Romantik Museum – an additional building that is home to an extensive collection of German literary works and art create by artists during the height of Romanticism in the 1800s.

    The Main River

    Is a city ever really a true city without a river running through it? The Main River doesn’t have much going on along the bankside, but it makes for a nice walk to people watch and admire the close-up view of the city’s famous skyline, which is also known as Mainhattan. Situated between the old town and Museum Ufer, it’s a good spot for people watching.

    Museum Ufer

    Like any major German city, Frankfurt has several museums about to niche topics – I’d recommend do a bit of reading into what kind of exhibits will be on display first. Most entrance fees are relatively affordable and range from €5.00 to €12.00 per person. The Stadel Museum, the Senckenberg Natural History Museum and the German Film Musuem are ranked the most popular.