Cynthia
Mak

Is geometry a constraint or a freedom for you — and has that answer ever changed?

Honestly, it’s a bit of both, and that’s what makes it so fun. On one hand, there’s a real constraint because you’re stripping away the fine details of an object and reducing it entirely to lines and form. But on the other hand, that exact process of abstraction is incredibly freeing. It lets you play with shapes without any strict limits.

Walk us through your process — where does a piece begin, and how do you know it's finished?

It usually starts quite randomly—sometimes an idea just pops into my head or a dream, and I get this sudden urge to play with it and start sketching. Because my style is very clean and graphic, there’s a clear moment where a specific canvas feels complete. But that doesn’t mean the project is done. The concept usually spills over onto the next canvas or into a totally different medium. I guess you really know a piece is finished when your mind naturally starts dreaming up the next idea and it's time to move on.

Is there something outside of art — a system, structure, or phenomenon — that quietly shapes how you think about form?

Definitely. Before focusing full-time on my art, I was a knitwear designer. In knitwear, everything you design lives on a grid—you’re basically filling in tiny grid squares with color, almost like pixel art. To make a pattern work for the knitting machines, you have to think in bold, solid blocks of color. Looking back, that’s absolutely where my obsession with geometric forms started

What does a viewer miss when they see your work as 'just geometry'?

I think the beauty of geometric art is that the shapes and colors are just the first layer. People see that striking visual first, but then when you share the actual story or idea behind it, you get this great 'Oh, wow, I see it now!' moment. It’s like a little surprise box. So it doesn’t bother me at all if they just see geometry at first—it’s just the perfect entry point into the piece.

What's the last rule you set for yourself in the work, and did you keep it?

My biggest rule right now is that the work has to radiate joy. I want it to make people feel good the second they look at it, even if they have absolutely no idea what the conceptual background is.

Describe a failure or a dead end in your practice — something that didn't work.

For a long time, my comfort zone was strictly 2D painting on canvas, but I’ve always had this massive urge to bring my shapes into the real world as 3D sculptures. Let's just say I failed a lot at the beginning! I didn't have the technical background to figure out how pieces connect, balance, or assemble structurally. It’s been a huge learning curve, but I’ve started collaborating with different artist and technical experts. I'm learning so much as I go, and it's been amazing to see those ideas finally take shape."