相信許多關注香港本地IP的人，都不會對這個冬菇頭小女孩感到陌生。事隔兩年，藝術家麥雅端再度舉行IP個展，與會德豐地產合作於黃竹坑 One Island South大堂舉行《Half Rain Half Chocolate：Fatina 的心靈秘密頻道》，以「彩色」與「深藍」兩組作品的強烈對比，透過法天娜化身心靈接線生的形象，與觀眾一同探討情緒的流動、憂鬱的接納，以及生命中苦樂參半的平衡。
Many Hongkongers who follow local IP will likely find this mushroom-haired little girl a familiar face. After a two-year hiatus, artist Prudence Mak returns with a new solo IP exhibition, running from today through July 31, in collaboration with Wheelock Properties, at the lobby of One Island South in Wong Chuk Hang. Half Rain Half Chocolate: Fatina’s Palette of Emotions, the show sets a vivid, colourful body of work against a deep-blue counterpart, with Fatina reimagined as an emotional switchboard operator, inviting audiences to explore the ebb and flow of feeling, the acceptance of melancholy, and the delicate balance between joy and sorrow that runs through life.
「Half Rain Half Chocolate」喻意人生中一半是幸福的朱古力香氣，另一半是雨季的藍色。這次展示的作品，是藝術家心中兩種情緒的對話，粉紅的世界盛載愛與希望，藍色的世界，藏著孤獨與思念。兩幅全新創作大型的圓形畫作，構成一個完整的內心世界。令觀眾也開始思考傾聽自己內心的聲音，學習擁抱生活的每個方面。
“Half Rain Half Chocolate” evokes life as something half-sweet, half-troubled. The works on display represent a dialogue between two emotional states within the artist herself: a pink world holding love and hope, and a blue world holding loneliness and longing. Two large new circular paintings come together to form one complete inner world, prompting viewers to pause, listen to their own inner voice, and learn to embrace every side of life.
展覽同時展出多組富有故事性的全新畫作，包括以城市中的無聲花園為意象的《心的回響》，與描述Fatina寄託夢想信念的《蒲公英的心願》。還有恐龍Dino在Fatina的傾聽和陪伴下才學會接納自己的故事。
The exhibition also features a range of new, story-driven works, including Sublime Dream in the City, imagined as a silent garden hidden within the city, and Whisper of the Dandelion, which captures Fatina holding onto a belief in dreams not so far out of reach. Also featured is the story of Dino who only learns to accept himself through Fatina’s patient companionship and willingness to listen.
Q1：這次展覽名為《Half Rain Half Chocolate》，這個意念是如何誕生的？
A：我覺得人生本來就是苦樂參半。小時候默書拿一百分，會得到一元零用錢，儲夠了就去買朱古力吃，那份滋味總是特別開心。但雨這個意象，則來自我小時候住木屋的經歷，成日漏水，一落雨就沒有心情。人生有時就是這樣，一半是有心情的時候，一半是沒有心情的時候，所以這個展覽的對話，就是一半開心、一半憂鬱。
Q1: The exhibition is titled “Half Rain Half Chocolate.” How did this concept come about?
A: I’ve always felt that life is a mix of bitter and sweet. As a kid, if I scored full marks on a dictation test, I’d get a dollar as pocket money, and once I’d saved enough, I’d buy chocolate that taste always made me so happy. But the “rain” comes from my childhood living in a squatter hut, where the roof leaked constantly. Whenever it rained, I’d feel completely deflated. Life is often like that, half the time you’re in good spirits, half the time you’re not. So the dialogue in this exhibition is exactly that: half joy, half melancholy.
Q2：展覽用「彩色」與「深藍」表達不同情緒，可以說說在你目前的創作階段，你如何決定用顏色來區分這兩種狀態？回想創業初期那些「不開心就抱著公仔哭著入睡」的日子，你會怎樣形容自己這些年來與憂鬱相處的方式？
A：頭十年真的很難熬，初創業並不容易，尤其我們這些出身基層的人，就算有夢想，也缺乏資金去實現，父母有時甚至會覺得你不務正業，在做一些沒有意義的事。那個時候，「藍色」對我來說就代表著整個世界，好像沒有太多選擇，很受限制，就像你手上調色盤的顏色一樣有限。我記得讀大學修讀藝術科的時候油畫顏料很貴，我窮得只買得起三種原色。也許正是這種受限，令我後來反而對藍色系的畫作特別有感覺。你看著一系列統一色調的作品，好像夏天的藍天碧海，感覺很寫意、很chill，但畫家背後的心情，其實可能藏著一些說不出口的抑鬱。
所以這次展覽的作品就很貼題——你會看到兩幅畫，配上兩個紙杯聽筒，中間用一條線連著，一個是彩色的 Chocolate Rain，一個是藍色的 Chocolate Rain，兩者之間有一種聯繫。我覺得這就像是提醒大家，有空的時候要跟自己談談心。香港人生活太緊湊，朝九晚九之後根本沒有時間停下來跟自己對話。
尤其是我們這些住在地下室的人，那個空間往往收藏著舊玩具、舊書、被批改過的畫作。有時搬屋都不會打開這些箱子。其實跟自己對話，就是問自己會不會願意打開這些箱子，去斷捨離，看看裡面是不是還有一些被自己遺忘了的美好東西。這是一個讓自己整理過去的過程。
Q2: The show uses colour and deep blue to express different emotional states. How did you decide to use colour this way at this stage of your practice? You’ve mentioned that in the early days of starting your business, there were nights you cried yourself to sleep hugging your dolls — how would you describe the way you relate to sadness now, after all these years?
A: The first ten years were genuinely brutal. Starting out isn’t easy, especially for those of us from working-class backgrounds even if you have a dream, you lack the capital to make it happen, and sometimes your parents think you’re wasting your life on something pointless. Back then, “blue” represented the whole world to me, it felt like there were no real choices, everything was limited, much like the colours available on your palette.
I remember studying art at university, when oil paints were so expensive I could only afford three primary colours. Perhaps it was that very limitation that later gave me such a strong affinity for blue-toned paintings. When you look at a series in one unified palette, it can feel like a summer sky over a calm sea, breezy, effortless, chill. But behind that calm, the artist’s state of mind might actually be carrying an unspoken sense of depression.
That’s exactly what this show is about. You’ll see two paintings connected by a line, each holding a paper-cup phone, one is the colourful Chocolate Rain, the other is the blue Chocolate Rain, and the two are linked. To me, it’s a reminder to take the time to talk to yourself. Hong Kong life moves so fast. After a nine-to-nine day, all you want to do is sleep, and there’s simply no room left to pause and have a conversation with yourself. This is especially true for those of us who grew up in basement flats, where that cramped space ends up storing old toys, old books, marked-up drawings and essays you’d rather forget. Even when you move house, those boxes often stay unopened. Talking to yourself, in a way, is asking whether you’re willing to open those boxes, to declutter, and to see if there’s something good in there that you’d simply forgotten. It’s a process of taking stock of who you used to be.
Q3：這次的新作品很多，在媒材或手法上有哪些創新？可以挑一件作品跟我們分享背後的故事嗎？
A：這次我特別喜歡兩對作品，都是 80 厘米大的圓形畫作。第一對是有聽筒對話的那一組，顏色比較沉實，因為我想做出強烈的對比，開心的你和不開心的你，其實就像陰與陽一樣是相連的，最終都是同一個自己。
另一對就完全不同，是療癒過後的感覺，用的是粉蓝、粉紅這些柔和的色調，顏色都放鬆下來了。就像跟自己傾訴、抒發完之後，那個調色盤終於可以鬆一鬆，人也可以放鬆下來。所以你會看到畫中人在梳化上，靠著一本書，很chill，外面下不下雨已經不重要，她依然可以這樣自在。這兩對作品特別能夠帶出這次展覽的主題，所以這些作品也叫《Palette of Emotions》，你的調色盤，其實就是你情感的不同成分。
Q3: There are many new works in this show. What innovations have you made in terms of materials or technique? Could you pick one piece and tell us the story behind it?
A: There are two pairs of pieces I’m especially fond of this time, both large circular paintings, 80cm across. The first pair is the one with the paper-cup telephone dialogue; the palette there is more muted, because I wanted a strong contrast, to show that the happy you and the unhappy you are, in fact, connected like yin and yang. In the end, they’re both still you.
The second pair is a complete departure, it carries the feeling of having already been healed. It uses soft pastel pinks and blues, and the colours themselves feel more relaxed. It’s as if, after pouring your heart out and processing everything, your palette can finally loosen up, and so can you. That’s why you’ll see a figure lounging on a sofa with a book, completely unbothered by whether it’s raining outside, she can still be at ease. These two pairs really capture the heart of the show, which is why this body of work is called Palette of Emotions, your palette, in essence, is made up of the different components of your feelings.
Q4：Fatina 這個冬菇頭小女孩，最初代表的是你童年對拼布、循環再造理念與記憶。二十年過去，她的個性和意義有沒有隨著你自己的成長發生變化？
A：其實這個冬菇頭的演變，你會看到她一直都是用很多拼布拼湊出來的，我一直希望她保持不完美的狀態。大家常說一種永遠未完成的感覺，因為其實我自己也是這樣。我到現在還在學習水墨畫，上星期才跟著老師去看自己的作品被他修改。人其實應該永遠保持這種未完成的狀態，這樣才會有學習的空間，才會像一塊吸水的海綿，永遠能夠吸收新的東西。我希望自己，也希望 Fatina，永遠保持一塊 fresh sponge 的狀態。
Q4: Fatina, the mushroom-haired little girl, originally represented your childhood connection to patchwork and ideas of recycling and memory. Twenty years on, has her personality or meaning shifted alongside your own growth?
A: If you trace her evolution, Fatina has always been made up of many pieces of patchwork stitched together, and I’ve always wanted her to stay imperfect. People often talk about that sense of being “forever unfinished” and honestly, that’s exactly how I feel too. I’m still learning ink painting to this day; just last week I was reviewing a piece with my teacher as he corrected it. I think a person should always stay in that state of being unfinished, because that’s the only way you keep learning like a sponge that never stops absorbing water. I want myself, and Fatina, to always stay a fresh sponge.
Q5：你的創作實踐已二十年，由 2001年創立 Chocolate Rain 至今，你覺得自己最大的轉變是什麼？
A：我覺得是在 2023 年遇上了我的美術老師。所以那本作品集《平行時空》，我很希望大家去翻看最後那十幾頁，那裡講述了我遇見這位老師時的心路歷程。梁老師當時已經八十歲，經歷過太多事情，而他認識我的時候，其實完全不知道我的背景，也不理會我做了多少插畫 IP，他一直當我是一張白紙來教。人生走到中年這個階段，還有人願意當你是小學生一樣重新教導你，我覺得是一種難得的福份，也是一次重新出發的機會，讓我覺得自己又變回一塊新的海綿。
同時，我也在水墨的學習過程中，慢慢明白為什麼老一輩常說“見山是山，見山不是山，見山還是山”。因為他們看過太多東西，到最後所有事情都變得很開闊、很灑脫。但我們做 IP 創作的人，往往會比較斤斤計較，因為始終這是一門生意，會擔心有人比自己受歡迎。但畫山水的人不會有這些想法，他們是完全陶醉在自己的意境裡的。
Q5: You’ve been practising for two decades now, since founding Chocolate Rain in 2001. What would you say has been the biggest change in yourself over these twenty years?
A: I’d say it was meeting my art teacher in 2023. That’s why, in the artist book Parallel Time and Space, I really hope people flip to the last dozen or so pages, where I talk about that journey. My teacher, Master Leung, was already eighty years old when I met him, and he’d been through so much. When we met, he had no idea about my background, he didn’t care how many illustration IPs I’d built. He simply treated me like a blank sheet of paper and taught me from there. To reach middle age and still have someone willing to teach you as if you were a primary school student again — I think that’s a rare blessing, and a genuine chance to start over. It made me feel like a brand-new sponge all over again.
Through learning ink painting, I also came to understand why the old masters always say: “mountains are mountains, then mountains are no longer mountains, then mountains are mountains again.” It’s because they’ve seen so much that, in the end, everything opens up and they become effortlessly free. But those of us working in IP creation tend to be far more calculating, because at the end of the day it’s a business, you worry about someone becoming more popular than you, selling more than you. Someone painting landscapes doesn’t carry those worries; they’re simply immersed in their own world.
Q6：你曾經不斷提到即使身體或工作再累，也堅持親自創作插畫，是什麼讓你放不下親手創作這件事？
A：除了我很喜歡親身體驗這件事之外，我常常覺得，如果你沒有親身去感受、去體驗，其實就等於沒有真正活過。就算你背後管理著一萬人的團隊，在一萬個國家推動事情，如果你只是在追趕 KPI、追趕數字，那其實不算是在活這個人生。所以我很享受每一次真實的交流，就算是一個很快閃的調色班，我都希望能在那一刻觸碰到參加者的內心。昨天我由早上九點忙到晚上六點，是跟一班中學生做 workshop，我很想跟他們一問一答地交流，解答他們每一條問題，因為那種直接的交流，可能一生只有那一次。
Q6: You’ve kept insisting on creating everything by hand, even when it’s exhausting. What is it that keeps you from letting go of hands-on creation?
A: Beyond simply loving the hands-on experience itself, I often feel that if you haven’t truly felt something, truly experienced it, then in a sense you haven’t really lived it. Even if you’re managing a team of ten thousand people, running the same initiative across ten thousand countries, if all you’re doing is chasing KPIs and numbers, that’s not really living your life. So I treasure every genuine exchange, even something as brief as a pop-up colouring class. I want to touch someone’s soul in that moment.
Yesterday I spent from nine in the morning until six in the evening running a workshop for a group of secondary school students. I really wanted to go through a proper Q&A with them, answering every single question, because that kind of direct exchange might only happen once in a lifetime.
Q7：澳洲的展覽將會展現水墨與西方藝術融合的新作，這種手法是否是你在回應香港原創如何走向世界？你期望西方觀眾會如何理解水墨這種媒介？
A：這次墨爾本和悉尼兩個城市的展覽，其實籌備了整整三年。這三年來，我不斷來回香港與澳洲，參與當地很多藝術博覽會，也在那裡認識了一些開始收藏我作品的當地藏家。跟他們交流時，我發現一件很神奇的事——他們看待東方藝術，尤其是水墨，是完全沒有包袱的，因為他們沒有相關的背景知識，頂多只在博物館看過類似的東西。他們會覺得很好奇：一般水墨山水裡面住著的是古人，但看我的作品，裡面卻住著一個小朋友；為什麼卡通人物會出現在山水之中？
所以跟他們交流時，我會分享很多東方文化與哲學，也會談到我們新一代如何用新的手法去演繹這些文化。他們是用一種很開闊的態度去接受的。這種不守規矩，在外國人眼中反而是一種自由，就像看著小朋友到處爬來爬去，他們不會阻止你，只想你盡情發揮，這就是藝術，不用那麼拘謹。所以這麼多年來，我一直很喜歡這個地方，也因為他們對大自然特別有一份熱愛。水墨畫裡最常出現的就是動物、花鳥、山水，而他們剛好對這類主題特別有感情，所以我覺得特別適合在那邊展出。他們也藉此重新認識 Chocolate Rain 如何走進山水的世界，因為我用了很多顏色處理，令他們特別驚喜，原來很多人以為水墨就只有黑與白。
其實我所有的水墨作品都是East mix West的，你會看到裡面有小鹿斑比，有很多童趣、色彩繽紛的元素，是一種不太像傳統山水的山水，會讓人覺得挺有趣。
Q7: The Australia exhibition will feature new work that blends ink painting with Western art. Is this your way of responding to the question of how Hong Kong original IP can go global? And how do you think Western audiences will engage with ink as a medium?
A: The Melbourne and Sydney shows “WAVE OF LIFE”, running back to back, actually took a full three years to prepare. Over these three years, I’ve been shuttling constantly between Hong Kong and Australia, taking part in numerous local art fairs, where I got to know collectors who were just beginning to acquire my work. Talking with them, I discovered something fascinating, they approach Eastern art, ink painting especially, without any baggage at all, simply because they don’t carry the background knowledge; at most they’ve seen something similar in a museum. They’re genuinely curious: traditional ink landscapes are usually inhabited by figures from antiquity, but in my work, there’s a child instead. Why do cartoon characters appear inside a landscape?
So in these conversations, I share a lot about Eastern culture and philosophy, and also talk about how our generation is finding new ways to reinterpret that heritage. They receive it with real openness. This kind of rule-breaking, to a Western audience, actually reads as a form of freedom like watching a toddler crawl around; no one stops them, they just let you express yourself freely, because that’s what art is, without needing to be so rigid about it. That’s part of why I’ve grown so fond of that place over the years. They also carry a deep love for nature. Ink painting is, after all, full of animals, birds, flowers, mountains and water, and that happens to resonate strongly with them, which makes it feel like a natural fit for showing there. Through this, they’re also rediscovering how Chocolate Rain has found its way into landscape painting, because of all the colour I bring in which genuinely surprises them, since many people assume ink painting is only ever black and white.
In truth, all my ink works are “East mix West”, you’ll spot Bambi tucked in there, alongside plenty of playful, colourful, childlike elements. It’s landscape painting that doesn’t quite look like landscape painting and people tend to find that quite delightful.
Q8：下半年還會有其他海外展覽，可以分享一下這幾站新作品的風格與特色嗎？
A：接下來會去倫敦、上海，然後是馬來西亞。馬來西亞的展覽，會是真正屬於Chocolate Rain 的世界，色彩很繽紛，會有很多吹氣裝置和大型公仔。如果是上海，主打的則是 IP 系列，會展出很多 art toys。至於倫敦那邊，是一個聯展，我第一次跟 3812 畫廊合作一個比較大型的、全女性藝術家陣容的展覽。
澳洲這個展覽，是籌備得最久的，前後花了三年，起初我甚至以為未必能成事，因為規模比較大，當中有幾件裝置高達兩三米，要整批由香港運過去，我們整個團隊也會飛過去現場布展。這批裝置作品雖然體積龐大，但其實依然是水墨主題——會有一件充氣裝置，是一隻章魚，像是從我的水墨畫中走出來的模樣。還有一個葫蘆裝置，表面印著水墨圖案，同樣高達兩三米。整體來說，是把很多中國水墨的元素放大、立體化。
Q8: There are more overseas exhibitions planned for the second half of the year. Can you share the style and character of the new work at each stop?
A: After Australia, I’ll be heading to London, then Shanghai, and then Malaysia. The Malaysia show will be pure Chocolate Rain, vibrant and colourful, with plenty of inflatable installations and oversized figures. Shanghai, on the other hand, will focus on the IP side, with a strong showing of art toys. London will be a group exhibition. My first time working on a larger-scale show “Woven Voices: Her Story in Ink”with 3812 Gallery, featuring an all-female lineup of artists.
The Australia exhibition has been the longest in the making, three years in total. At first, I genuinely wasn’t sure it would come together, given the scale involved: several of the installations stand two to three metres tall, and the entire body of work has to be shipped over from Hong Kong, with our whole team flying out to install it on site. Despite their size, these installations are still rooted in ink painting, there’ll be an inflatable octopus that looks as though it’s stepped straight out of one of my ink paintings, alongside a gourd-shaped installation, two to three metres tall, printed with an ink-style pattern. Essentially, it’s about taking elements of traditional Chinese ink painting and blowing them up into large-scale, three-dimensional form.
Q9：Chocolate Rain一直跟不同品牌、商場有合作，接下來會有什麼新的合作方向？
A：八月會有一個研討會，探討如何帶領香港的 IP 走向海外。這個出海計劃裡面，也會包括一個與英國合作的線上課程。明年我會參與一個 world tour 計劃，我們會帶十幾二十個香港品牌一同前往海外參展，希望除了我自己這個品牌之外，也能讓香港這麼多有創意、有才華的人，一起被世界看見，展現香港的創作力量。這也是我一直在做的事，支持本地創作，帶他們走出去，是我覺得有責任去做的事。
Q9: Chocolate Rain has collaborated with many brands and malls over the years. What new directions are you exploring for future collaborations?
A: In August, I will be taking part in a symposium on how to bring Hong Kong IP out into the world. As part of this “going global” initiative, we’re also launching an online course in partnership with the UK. Next year, I will be joining a world tour project, where we will bring fifteen to twenty Hong Kong brands overseas to exhibit together. Beyond my own brand, I really want the world to see just how much creativity and talent Hong Kong has to offer, and to showcase our collective creative strength. Supporting local creators and helping them go out into the world is something I’ve always done, and something I feel is genuinely my responsibility.
Q10：對於想將插畫創作變成事業的香港年輕人，你想跟他們說些什麼？
A：見到很多年輕人在 IG 上接連 Shopify 賣自己的產品。我常常跟他們說，不用那麼心急。你首先要建立一個有血有肉、有骨幹、有性格、也有經歷的角色，而角色之所以有經歷，是因為創作者本身要先有經歷。不要那麼心急就想做一顆棒棒糖，因為糖你什麼時候都可以賣，但真正有內容、有內涵的創作，是要像一顆切開後一層又一層、有豐富層次的糖果，需要慢慢發展出來的。我常說，你可以不斷地上傳發布很多畫，這是好事，但有內容、有內涵的作品，才是你真正需要花時間去發揮的核心。年輕人還有太多東西要學，慢慢來。等你真正走到那個階段，反而會飛得更輕鬆、更遠。如果太早就急著往上飛，反而很快會跌下來，因為你所需要的底蘊還不夠。
Q10: What would you say to young people in Hong Kong who want to turn illustration into a career?
A: I see so many young creatives rushing to set up an Instagram page linked to a Shopify store to sell their own products. I always tell them: there’s no need to rush. What you need to build first is a character with real substance, flesh and blood, a backbone, a personality, and a history and a character only has a history if its creator has lived through one themselves. Don’t be in such a hurry to become instant candy, because sweets can be sold anytime. What actually matters is content with real depth, layered like a well-made sweet that reveals more the further you cut into it and that takes time to develop. I always say, posting a lot of drawings quickly is a good habit to build, but content with genuine substance is what you truly need to spend your time honing. There’s still so much for young creatives to learn, take it slow. Once you actually reach that stage, you’ll find it far easier to soar, and to go further. If you try to take off too soon, you’ll come crashing back down just as fast, because you simply won’t have built up enough depth to sustain the flight.
Half Rain Half Chocolate：Fatina 的心靈秘密頻道｜Half Rain Half Chocolate：Fatina’s Palette of Emotion
日期 Dates
2026.6.30 – 7.31 | 30 June – 31 July 2026
展覽時間 Opening Hours
上午 10 時至晚上 7 時 10am – 7pm daily
地點 Venue
香港黃竹坑香葉道 2 號 One Island South 地下大堂
G/F One Island South, 2 Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong