Mu Wen Pan
www.mupan.com

Tell us a little about your background?
I grew up in Taiwan and came to United States on Feburary, 22nd 1997. Now I work for an advertising studio as a storyboard colorist right next to Grand Central, and I live in my mother's basement because I love her so much and I'm simply not cool enough to live in Williamsburg.

Where are you from?
Taiwan, Republic of China.

Design education:
I went to Fu Hsin Arts Technical High School in Taipei, Taiwan. And I went to S.V.A in NYC. I was a classmate of James Jean the super star and Tomer Hanuka the Messiah of illustration.

How did you start out as an illustrator?
When I was in fifth grade in a peasant elementary school in Taichung, at age 11 and I was the main illustrator for the weekly school newspaper. So far, I've only had two-illustration jobs since I graduated from S.V.A., so, I really don't know if I can call myself an illustrator or not.

What inspires you?
Religious art, like classic Flemish, Prussian and Tibetan works, anything that has weird animals, gods and the animal gods. Also I am fascinated by any kind of mythology from all cultures and spiritual theories and wars and history. Religion makes people crazy.

Majority of sketches is very sexual and pornographic can you comment about that?
They are lunatic psycho sexual drawings, but I would not call them pornographic. I use sexual organs for some images because I need it, like you need it when you are having sex. I didn't do it for some kids to masturbate to it in the bathroom, and I didn't do it to satisfy my visual sexual desire either, all I want is to make them to look strong and powerful.

Will you be moving into mainstream graphic design anytime in the future?
Why not, if anybody would like to use me, I am serious. I need money to pay the bills and buy art supplies and I don't have a student discount any more since that god dame SVA changed the school id.

Under your paintings index page there is a quote from you that says: "..don't call me a rebel cuz i am a citizen of U.S, my country died 50 years ago. i always love her, but not taiwan." If it's not too personal would you like to elaborate on that?
Well, my grandparents (on both sides of my family) escaped from China to Taiwan with the Nationalist Government in 1949, and I am the second generation of what is called the "Outside Province People" in Taiwan. I grew up in a military men's compound that is more like a "mainland Chinese reservation" we don't get along with those so called Taiwanese, and of course mainland Chinese hate us. So, to me, I have no country at all, not China, not Taiwan, and not even here¦

Do you have any tips for up and coming illustrators?
Screw your friends before they screw you. If you want to be rich, you got to be a bitch.

PDC: That's funny, I'll remember that..LOL!

What are your bad artistic habits?
My work look very illustrative and cartoonish, and I HATE IT!!! I think I paid way too much attention to Japanese Manga when I was younger, and now I really regret it. If I could redo my youth, I would never touch Manga or comics.

How would you like to be remembered?
I hope I could be remembered as a real painter, and people will consider me an "ARTIST". But I've never in my life called myself that.

What do you like best about creating alternative art?
When I start an image, all I think about is how I am going to make this piece represent myself, and what do I want people to see and feel something about it. I've never done any thing to impress people and make them say "awesome." I hate painting, but I have to do it, because it is the only way for me to shout out my war cry and to show the word who I am. I really don't care if it is alternative or mainstream. If you like it, thank you, and if you don't, that's fine, just don't complain to me about it.

Do you have any new projects coming up that you can tell us about?
I never stop painting, even though I really don't have that much time to do it. I'm currently working on a painting based on one of my sketchbook drawings. Basically, all my paintings are from my sketchbooks. Paintings, drawings and sketchbooks are the trinity for me.

What would you like to see in the future for mupan.com?
Now it is my online portfolio, and I wish I could have more new stuff to put on it.

There is a lot of reference to Christianity in your pieces. Is there some repugnance towards that religion?
My Grandfather was a preacher when he was alive, so I've been brainwashed since I was very little. I have nothing against Christ; I still pray every night before I go to bed. However, I have problem with the church, to me church is the most filthy and disgusting place this world has ever seen, it is a place of spiritual slavery. Churchgoers are just as sinful as everyone else, but they think they are better than others because they go to church every Sunday to sing and sleep. Church had made Christianity become another religion, a white man's white god, the god that only loves people who obey the white world. I believe that if Christ met Lane Deer, he would sit down and smoke pipe with him and not tell him he is a sinner and force him to go to church.

What was your most difficult piece you ever worked on?
As I said before, my stuff look very illustrative and cartoonish, and doing illustration is easy in certain ways. To me, every piece is difficult because I try very hard to make them not like illustrations, to make them complete paintings, and I am still working on that.

What question do you wish I had asked, and how would you have answered it?
What kind of girls do you like? ITALIAN!!!!!!

Thank you for doing this interview. Is there any last comments you would like to add?
It is my pleasure and honor, thank you.

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