Prudence Mak recalls her first time seeing works by some of her comic artist heroes — one being Li Chi-tak, creator of the Black Mask superhero comic — in the flesh. It was at a Comix Home Base (CHB) exhibition, more than a decade ago.

The Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC)has been championing the cause of comic art for years, but the launch of the Comix Home Base in 2005 made a real difference. It was the first symbolic gesture of treating comics on a par with other visual art forms.

It was indeed a watershed year for the city's comic creators, some of whom were seeing their works exhibited for the first time. "You could see them smile, with a sense of satisfaction," says Mak. "Finally, Hong Kong had an organization that put them on a pedestal."

That experience had strengthened Mak's resolve to make a career as an artist — which she has, with great success, by creating characters such as the little girl in a mushroom hat known as Fatina. There's also her Chocolate Rain brand, which presents her art across different mediums — paintings, figure sculptures, and handcrafted accessories.

Today, as a senior adviser to HKAC, she's in charge of CHB's 20th anniversary celebrations. Today Mak's creations are hanging alongside those of her heroes as part of the anniversary exhibitions.

Connecting artists

CHB was set up as an exhibition and promotion initiative to help Hong Kong comic creators achieve greater visibility, both at home and elsewhere. For some years the facility operated from the "Green House" heritage building at 7 Mallory Street in Wan Chai, but today it's run out of HKAC's 2 Harbour Road address. CHB continues to promote local comic artists, by organizing exhibitions of their works, while also helping them keep abreast of international developments and opportunities in the field.

"It's all supported by the government, and that shows how important the comic art sector is," offers Alan Wan Siu-lun, vice-president of the Hong Kong Comics and Animation Federation. He adds that the backing from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government enables CHB to be "very helpful to artists and our federation because we don't have a comparable venue. ... CHB also concentrates on the young generation, connecting artists with the overseas markets, and opens up opportunities."

Inclusive celebrations

Highlights of CHB's 20th anniversary celebrations include Origins: Hand-Drawn Comix Art Fair — Hong Kong's first fair dedicated to the art form — besides a pop-up store with merchandise based on works by Hong Kong comic artists and live drawing events.

Mak says it was HKAC Executive Director Rebecca Ip's idea to include comic art by school children, as well as by artists who might have dreamed of exhibiting at HKAC but never got the chance, in the anniversary exhibition.

Mak's own journey to becoming an artist is nothing short of inspirational. Her formative years were spent in a squatter's hut in the hills above Stanley. It had been pieced together by her grandfather after he had arrived in the city as a refugee in the '70s.

"My family lived in a handmade house, and we had handmade toys," she says. "I was born into a DIY environment. When you cannot afford toys, you make your own — and that's how I started."

Mak went on to win a scholarship to train at the famed Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Her artistic style is a composite of what she describes as "part surrealist, part anime, part manga and part pop art".

Recently she has tried tapping into the tools and opportunities that advanced technology has made possible, and would like to share her takeaways from those attempts with young artists as part of the anniversary program.

"Obviously, publishing is a lot easier today," says Mak. "You can self-publish - put a sample of your work on the internet for buyers to place an order."

Fellow comic artist Isabel Tong — who markets her works under the brand name Isatisse and is also part of the anniversary exhibition — agrees. "There are many available platforms on which you can share your work," she says. "Whatever you like to draw, share it online and test the market. The most important thing to remember is to be yourself. Be unique, and then your work will really stand out."

Mak adds that HKAC not only trains its students to make comic art but also to deal with intellectual property issues and "how this industry works".

The way ahead

Wan, meanwhile, was a speaker at the 20th International Comic Artist Conference held in Hong Kong in July. Hong Kong artist Kwong Chi-kit — who switched careers from teaching art to drawing comics when COVID-19 forced the closure of his school — shared his story at the event.

Kwong found almost instant success with The Saga of Kunlun Mountain — a monochromatic comic compilation, cocreated with Luk Wai-cheong and Mark Tin-kit — and his own The Architect's Epiphany. Both works have been licensed for overseas publication, tapping into a global market that is predicted to be worth roughly $26.75 billion by 2032, according to market-research company Fortune Business Insights.

"I think we are at the moment of reconstructing Hong Kong's comic art industry," Kwong says. "Back in the '80s and '90s, Hong Kong comic was such a huge thing, and then by the 2000s, it shrank fast. People suddenly had all these other entertainment options."