meet hippiefart
your neighborhood artist
Hippiefart is the artist name made up by Ashley Lau, a goofy name embracing the free-spirited, humorous, personality of the artist. Ashley was born in Manila, Philippines, and is now residing in Hong Kong, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts at The University of Hong Kong. With a passion for the arts as a young age, she is self taught in her craft of painting. Using traditional methods such as oil, acrylic, gouache and watercolor, as well as digital mediums of illustration, she experiments heavily using individual or mixed mediums to cultivate her artistic expression.
When she moved to Hong Kong with her family in 2010, transitioning into a completely new environment and culture was an experienced that shaped her individual personality and art direction. Being able to relate to others who share a similar background as her through her relationships in her life also allowed her to develop a more welcoming experience in Hong Kong. Her art practice aims to illustrate the life of living in Hong Kong with the lens of one who still feels like an outsider to an urban city that is filled with a unique and growing culture. Her paintings are inspired by themes of life in the urban city like Hong Kong. She also takes in her own personal stories, narrating the ups and downs of a Filipino-Chinese artist. Topics of family, culture, mental health and social issues are her points of interest.
- Hippiefart’s Sustainable Art WorkshopAbout a year ago, I had this idea to host a workshop that acts as an inclusive space for people of all backgrounds to create, whether they are new to making art, a student, a professional, or just someone who wants to try something fun with art. I imagined this workshop in my head; it… Read more: Hippiefart’s Sustainable Art Workshop
- Reflecting on: Sham Shui Po Series Exhibition at Colour Brown CafeThe creation of this series of paintings focused on my exploration of Sham Shui Po was a yearlong project that aimed to highlight the local Hong Kong culture in its glory.As I worked on these paintings, I was able to experiment with painting styles and mixed different materials to create different textures and patterns on… Read more: Reflecting on: Sham Shui Po Series Exhibition at Colour Brown Cafe
- Exploring Sham Shui Po w/ Colour Brown CafeBeing an artist who just graduated from university in 2023, I felt this newfound freedom to create. I had made several paintings up to this point, but I had ideas to exhibit my work and showcase my artistic journey in a profound way. Every artist has a muse, and for me, my muse has always… Read more: Exploring Sham Shui Po w/ Colour Brown Cafe
- Safe SpacesThis painting series started from being inspired by cafes. Cafes in Hong Kong have grown all over the place. The creative ways cafes uitilise small spaces to create an inviting environment for people to get their coffee fix intrigued me everytime I walked passed a new coffee shop. I wanted to illustrate these spaces. I… Read more: Safe Spaces
- How Walking Inspired My ArtSo much of my art illustrates Hong Kong’s cityscape. I am constantly inspired by the irregularity of its buildings, streets, lights, and the chaos that you hear and see every day. I struggled to express my passion through illustrating because I didn’t know how to start. I had so many ideas, styles I could go… Read more: How Walking Inspired My Art