Shot by Muir McLennan
JACINTHE LAU / CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Sydney (Gadigal) based visual artist Jacinthe is the master of her art. Keep an eye out for her work in the hottest music vids of now, from Sydney to dreamy Tokyo, working with artists like The Buoys, Montagine, Nick Ward and Dylan Atlantis.
Shot by Muir McLennan
Interview with Issy Fowden
So is your work personally driven? Or do you catch Ubers?
Hahah very funny, 100%. It’s definitely personally driven, I try not to accept projects that I’m not invested in, if you know what I mean. I feel like I can’t really execute a vision that well for someone if I’m not invested and I don’t believe in it. I would usually only accept projects that I think that I will give 100% to.
What inspires your creations?
Film, filmmakers and cinema really bleed into my photography and all the videos I make. There’s always at least one or two movie references in my treatments that I think would really suit what they’re looking to do.
You mentioned on your website that you use a diverse array of disciplines to approach your practices. Which disciplines are those?
I guess I use a little bit of everything. Even when I was really little, before I even discovered photography, I always loved drawing and painting and now I’ve added graphic design. I really love using my hands. You can see in the Holding the Man video, I directed it, we were painting, we were drawing and you know, we had to use our hands.
Shot by Jacinthe Lau for Astrophe Magazine
Can you still see yourself being a creative when you’re 60?
100% definitely. When I’m really old I feel like I would love to be some kind of art teacher, or something like that. I feel like that could be really rewarding, teaching the next generation of artists and still get to do what you love.
What’s your favourite music genre to shoot?
I think it’s always more fun shooting a song that’s upbeat. You can go crazy with it and it makes for a more fun shoot because everyone’s going crazy with it. If you’re doing like a slow song, it’s just a lot of emotions, a lot of still static shots. Still fun, but I feel like it’s nice to shoot a music video that’s high energy.
I remember reading somewhere about Rihanna not liking to listen to the sound of her voice. Are you the same with your work?
Honestly, probably, because when I think about it, after I finish a project I don’t really go back and watch it. So maybe that’s true. If I did go back and watch a few things, I think I’d be quite critical of myself and be like, ‘Oh, I wish I changed this. I wish I did this’. But yeah, I don’t know why, I just don’t have the curiosity.
What is your dream photoshoot location and dream creative to photograph?
I think it would probably be either in Tokyo, because I’ve never been to Tokyo and I’ve literally wanted to go my entire life. Or maybe in Hong Kong; that’s where my family’s from. I feel like that would be a very enriching experience, to do a creative job in a place that my family’s from. In terms of the person, it would have to be one of the artists I love, like Frank Ocean - that would be insane. Or maybe one of my favourite directors, like Sofia Coppola or Wong Kar-Wai.
Nick Ward shot by Jacinthe Lau
What’s your favourite thing to do in Sydney?
The galleries we have in Sydney are so good and we have so much to see here. The other weekend I went to the exhibition at White Rabbit Gallery, which was really, really good, I think my favourite one I’ve seen there so far.
What’s something useful you could share with someone who’s trying to do a similar thing to you?
When I started out, I was struggling with thinking, ‘This person wouldn’t want to work with me’, ‘I don’t have that much of a portfolio’, all those kinds of things. But you don’t have to start making work with other people, just start making work yourself to show people what you’re about and what your style is. I guess a lot of the barriers that you see stopping you are a lot of the time just in your head, and all you really have to do is ask for it. It’s one message away, like you just message someone and be like, look, I really love your work. I would really love to work with you in any capacity, even if that’s just assisting on set, or watching you at a shoot and learning. It’s just a matter of going out and getting it.
As a society progressing with technology all the time, how important is using socials in your work?
People won’t really see your work if you don’t have a profile somewhere. I think it’s definitely important just to connect with other artists and your community. I feel like so many of the people I’ve worked with and the opportunities I’ve had have literally just come from seeing someone’s Instagram profile and learning more about what they do. I feel like its really important, even though it’d be really nice if we could all just meet each other naturally and not have to be online all the time. I guess that’s just how it is.
The Internet is a blessing. If you had to ditch all your socials and go old school, how would you do it?
I think the only way I could do it is if all I had was a brick phone. If I have an iPhone and just delete all that, the temptation would still be there. I’d have to just commit fully and use a brick phone that you have to click the button like six times to get the right letter.
Montaigne shot by Jacinthe Lau
Top 3 ‘happy places’ in Sydney?
1. White Rabbit Gallery
2. Chinatown Country Club
3. Kinokuniya
Who do you think is the most exciting young & emerging creative in Sydney?
Nick Ward
Musician
@nickwarddd