Seeing Red

Red Hong Yi says if you’re a creator, you’re driven, and you want to do something different, this is a great time to do it. — GLENN GUAN/The Star

AS an artist well known for using conventional everyday objects in unconventional ways to create extraordinary mixed media installations, Red Hong Yi is no stranger to the concept of repurposing.

Her many remarkable works have included a large-scale portrait of Jackie Chan made of 64,000 bamboo chopsticks, and a tribute to local beverage slinging teh tarik vendors comprising 20,000 stained tea bags, which was exhibited at the World Economic Forum in Davos. In crafting her pieces, she has employed everything from postage stamps and socks to drinking straws and used coffee capsules.

With her latest piece, unveiled in partnership with Cosentino, the architectural artist continues to explore fresh approaches to reinterpreting and transforming materials, bringing a one-of-a-kind furniture piece that blends art, decor and eco-conscious design.

Named the Totem Shelf, the unique creation by Hong Yi incorporates the surface company’s newly introduced Earthic® by Silestone®XM material.

The collection of high-end surfaces, developed together with boundary-pushing design studio Formafantasma, boasts a composition of up to 30% recycled materials including glass, PET, bio-resin and offcut fragments from past Cosentino collections.

The result is a curated, versatile shelf that is as functional as it is eye-catching.

“I think when we came up with this idea, I wanted it to have a bit of a sculptural element, so that it wouldn’t just be pure furniture, but almost like a sculpture in the form of furniture,” Hong Yi tells us at the collaboration’s reveal.

Along with the sleek, modern Earthic surfaces which feature centrally in the Totem Shelf, the artist also integrated reused components that she locally sourced, such as metal bowls from her studio, balustrades, and discarded wood pieces from a demolished house in Penang.

“I also took another plank from my own house that is being renovated,” she adds. “I wanted to still incorporate something of the past into this piece.”

According to Hong Yi, the opportunity to fashion an art piece using material from the sustainability-driven Earthic collection was a big draw. “I liked its ethos of using recycled items like glass, PET and resin, which are materials I deal with on a daily basis.”

To further underline this eco-conscious principle, the repurposed bowls and planks are stacked vertically to form the columns that prop the shelf structure up. “I thought it would be cool to have the two main columns, which are made of recycled materials, essentially holding up the Earthic series – that was the message I wanted to portray.”

Pigment of imagination

Since bursting onto the art scene over a decade ago, Hong Yi’s star has only continued to rise, with her works garnering international recognition and showcased in prestigious museums and publications around the world.

However, an art career had not always been in the cards for her. After graduating with a Master of Architecture degree, she worked as an architect for two years before deciding to pursue art. “I’ve always loved art, but I never thought it could be a career,” she says.

Despite having a passion for art since young, her parents had advised against it. “Their view was that, there are hundreds of thousands of artists out there who are also very talented, what makes you any different?,” she recalls.

“But in a sense, it was true and I think it’s good to realise that to set yourself apart, you have to do things a little bit differently and break the mould.”

“So when I started, I knew I wouldn’t be able to paint as well as someone who has gone through years of training. But I thought maybe I could use my architecture background and build from that instead, and so I introduced that aspect into my art.”

Carving out her own distinct path in the art realm, she gained prominence as the artist who ‘paints without a paintbrush’ with her unique methods and clever use of materials.

In 2023, she released her first book, ‘How To Paint Without A Brush: The Art Of Red Hong Yi’, which documents her notable journey as an artist and offers up do-it-yourself projects allowing readers to try their hand at non-traditional art-making.

Asked whether forgoing conventional techniques and employing a wide range of objects in her art comes with its own set of limits, Hong Yi thoughtfully responds that there are “pros and cons”.

“I like experimenting generally and find it very exciting to work with a new type of material,” she says.

“But the downside is that every time you get a new material you don’t know, it’s almost like approaching a new person. You have to spend time researching, seeing what works and what doesn’t. If there is a client involved, they would have to understand that it is a process that will take time.”

Art in the everyday

More recently, Hong Yi finds herself gravitating more to certain materials, such as sand and fire. There’s also been an inclination towards stacking, which she says is likely influenced by her eight-month-old son, who has taken to playing with stacked objects. After over a decade honing her craft, she shares that her approach and perspective have naturally evolved through time.

“When I first started, I would work with any material. But when I saw that people wanted to collect my work, I realised that they should be durable. So I stopped using perishable materials like fresh flowers,” she explains. “A piece like the Totem Shelf works very well, because I know that it’s going to last for a long time.”

In addition to durability, the Totem Shelf piece also places significant emphasis on sustainable solutions in light of the environmental challenges we currently face – a topic that permeates a number of Hong Yi’s works.

Perhaps the most noteworthy of them is her fiery installation which graced the cover of Time magazine for its ‘Climate Is Everything’ issue in 2021. Using 50,000 matchsticks, she and her team constructed a world map and subsequently set it ablaze – expressing the drastic, far-reaching consequences of climate change in a captivating image.

Beyond climate issues, the artist has also addressed themes like racism and corruption through her artwork. “As a kid, my mom always instilled in me that you have to be kind, have good manners, and love the environment. I think that’s always been a part of me,” she notes.

Among her many memorable works, one portrait from twelve years ago stands out as a pivotal point that propelled her art career to new heights.

It was a Youtube video of her painting the likeness of athlete Yao Ming, using only a basketball and red paint. Within a short time, the video went viral, hitting the million-view mark after being massively shared across social media and the web.

“At that time, a million views felt like a big deal, but now viral videos are all over the place,” she says. Today, the social media landscape is vastly different than it was in 2012, with online platforms becoming far more ubiquitous and saturated with content. Hong Yi, however, sees the development as a positive for artists, who are now afforded more opportunities and tools in terms of visibility and reaching a wider audience.

“Back then, my mindset had been that I had to protect my piece of the pie, or someone might take over this whole art thing that I’m known for,” she reflects. “But that was a very scarcity-driven mentality. Now when I look at it, I think there’s space for everyone. If you’re a creator, you’re driven, and you want to do something different, this is a great time to do it.”

This article first appeared in Star Biz7 weekly edition.