In the early spring, young artist CrazyMeow is checking the paintings inside the glass showcase to maintain the exquisite appearance of her ongoing solo exhibition at all times. CrazyMeow’s latest work, “Where is Xiaohei？”, packs the entire canvas with hundreds of cats, clustering around a big white dog and a hidden black cat among them. The whole piece overflows with the creator’s cherished love for furry children, offering warmth and healing.
“I wouldn’t have painted like this if I weren’t crazy enough!” CrazyMeow laughs, saying that her pen name “CrazyMeow” is not without reason.
Finding Homes for Stray Animals Through Art
The exhibition, titled “My Lovely Friends”, was held next to Taipei Metro ZhongShan Station at a well-known puzzle store throughout March, 2024. CrazyMeow says that “My Lovely Friends” refers to the protagonists of the paintings – the big white dog and the little black cat; one is her dearest big white dog, and the other is her beloved little black cat, both are her furry friends in real life.
Loving small animals, especially cats, has been a memory for CrazyMeow since her childhood. Since she secretly kept a stray cat that ran into her family’s garden when she was young, “contributing a part of her heart to stray animals” has become her most original motivation for creating art.
CrazyMeow mentioned that at first, she painted stray cats waiting to be adopted, hoping to use her sincere brushwork to depict the scenes of their lives “after finding their own homes.” By publishing and spreading the word online, she hoped that the right people would see them and take them home.
Gradually, she also began to create commemorative illustrations for other people’s furry children, taking orders online, and depicting them in detail. Besides the paintings, some are printed as picture cards or turned into merchandise. With the income earned, CrazyMeow periodically donates to related organizations or international animal welfare groups.
Love Spans Thousands of Miles
During her studies, she gradually accumulated a portfolio but also realized that despite painting many other people’s pets, her own cat was almost never featured! This realization led to the birth of her first picture book story. The little black cat she secretly kept in the garden has now become a permanent member of her home; meanwhile, a white Samoyed living in a friend’s home in Shanghai and the little black cat in Taipei are strangers separated by vast distances. CrazyMeow mentioned that as she talked about DaBai (the big white dog) and XiaoHei (the little black cat) with her grandmother, the story for the picture book took shape. Though they have never met in real life, under her pen, XiaoHei and DaBai overcome the nearly insurmountable geographical boundaries of the real world to become friends, happily living in the beautiful world she has created.
From then on, XiaoHei and DaBai became the representatives of “CrazyMeow”. Four or five years ago, she held her first solo exhibition in Shanghai, titled “My Lovely Friends”. CrazyMeow felt that since she had held the “MengYou” exhibition in Shanghai where DaBai was located. Now that she is part of a startup named “Prospect Artist（Yi Meng You）”, it would be fitting to maintain the same title for her current solo exhibition in Taipei where XiaoHei is located.
“MengYou, MengYou”, says CrazyMeow , is derived from the meaning of “Adorable Friends” when referring to furry children. When used in the team’s name, it implies the sense of “Sprouting”, phonetically harmonious with “Ally”, embodying a thriving and prosperous feeling. It’s about taking root and budding, a sudden spark of inspiration that brings warmth, joy, and a sense of healing to others. This is the atmosphere she hopes to convey in her paintings.
A Cool Grandma at Home
CrazyMeow’s grandmother is the best storyteller in the family. In her youth, she made a living through writing, which later led her into the film and television industry, producing movies, TV dramas, and writing song lyrics, endearing her to countless readers and viewers. In the eyes of others, she is one of the most important Chinese-language writers in the world: Chiung Yao.
“But she’s actually a really cool grandma,” CrazyMeow said.
It seems that her grandmother possesses an endless source of creative energy, and she approaches everything with seriousness, perseverance, and dedication. Last year marked the 60th anniversary of the publication of Chiung Yao’s first novel, “Outside the Window.” When CrazyMeow supported her grandmother on the stage of the Taipei Arena for a concert, even though it was just for a few seconds, the applause and cheers from all directions made her deeply understand that this love and energy needed to be passed down. Therefore, the “Prospect Artists” cultural and creative team she leads planned and promoted various art and cultural exhibitions and activities. At the same time, she also created a tribute piece dedicated to her grandmother.
The painting is also titled “Outside the Window.” It features her own XiaoHei and DaBai frolicking outside the window, and a little white Java sparrow, belonging to her grandmother’s memories, flying towards the window from the horizon. Inside the window, there are layers of bookshelves with vibrant green vines growing strong and tall; the artistic lives of two generations meet within this painting, bursting forth with the promise of an endless future. This piece is not only exhibited but has also been licensed for production into a puzzle gift box.
Speaking of puzzles, CrazyMeow said that as a child, she would play puzzles with her grandparents almost every day. “Puzzles” were a beautiful time of joy for her family and brought her a great sense of achievement, always making her want to continue challenging herself.
“I think it started before I even began elementary school,” CrazyMeow laughs, “All puzzles related to cats were my responsibility, which really shows that the name ‘CrazyMeow’ is no exaggeration.”
Piecing Together a Magical Destiny
Initially, to accompany her two granddaughters, Grandma Chiung Yao entered the world of puzzles. As the children grew up and family members became busy with their careers and lives, only Grandma Chiung Yao continued with her boundless love and patience, piece by piece, facing grander and more ambitious challenges.
The little granddaughter who once wandered in the world of puzzles with her grandmother has now become the independent young illustrator “CrazyMeow.” Not long ago, an exhibition themed around the puzzles that Grandma Chiung Yao had cherished for many years was led by CrazyMeow in the main design work, continuing the creative energy passed down from her grandmother with her meticulous fine brushwork style.
“When I was eight years old, I participated in a competition organized by the well-known puzzle brand Renoir,” CrazyMeow said. “Unexpectedly, eighteen years later, because of that exhibition, my second-place certificate from back then was displayed, and it actually connected me with them.” Nearly twenty years have passed since the little girl began puzzling with her family out of interest, completing countless pieces to the extent of being able to hold an exhibition, and now she has even become one of their collaborating creators. It’s truly a magical fate!
After the puzzle exhibition, CrazyMeow also invited many art scene veterans and friends to create the “A Day on the River” exhibition, using various mediums and techniques to present “the Tamsui River through the eyes of artists.” The CEO of Prospect Artists, Chen Wei-Chih, pointed out that the idea behind a series of activities and exhibition planning is to utilize platforms with higher visibility to showcase the talents, inspirations, and hard work of outstanding creators, especially young artists, in front of everyone. The goal is to warmly connect art with life and also provide young creators with more opportunities to connect with the public and the market.
In this regard, the art management and licensing company Badinon, which organized the solo exhibition for “CrazyMeow” with its Deputy General Manager, Ivy Lee, also added that they hope this will provide a more eye-catching stage for the new generation of artists to demonstrate their rich cultural and creative soft power. In the future, they look forward to presenting more distinctive designs through corporate collaborations and cultural and creative products, aiming to achieve a win-win-win situation for creators, art, and industry.
Genuine and Sincere Adorable Energy
Compared to choosing lipstick colors, CrazyMeow finds selecting watercolor paints more interesting. “I create for my own satisfaction. Once I’m satisfied, I won’t change it. If I’m not satisfied, others liking it won’t make me happy.”
This kind of “happiness” and “satisfaction” are actually demands she places on her own creation and confidence in her aesthetic standards. This, in turn, reflects her infinite patience, care, and love for furry children.
“I don’t like to panic or be in a hurry, and I’m even less willing to rush,” CrazyMeow considers herself an optimistic person. It could be said that she is “Buddha-like”, “homey”, or even “socially anxious”. She doesn’t deny these are facets of her personality and characteristics. However, in this era, where young people face the direct tension between “internal competition” and “lying flat”, CrazyMeow believes her creative pursuit is not about positive or negative energy. “As long as it brings everyone ‘adorable energy’, that’s enough,” CrazyMeow says with a slight smile.
Adorable energy is far from trivial. It’s lightweight but pleasing, genuine and sincere; moreover, because it’s warm, it can be more touching.
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