Hong Yi making waves again with Suu Kyi portrait
Published on: Sunday, January 27, 2013
Kota Kinabalu: Youtube sensation, local artist RED @ Hong Yi, is in town on holiday and making waves after yet another amazing showcase of her talent when she 'painted' a portrait of the Burmese political activist, Aung San Suu Kyi, using only carnations and some clever use of food dye.The three-day project that took place at the lobby of Sutera Harbour Marina and Country Club attracted many curious onlookers who marvelled at the slow emergence of Suu Kyi's portrait over 48 hours since Red started it.The artwork involving 2,000 carnations and food dye began on Thursday as Red patiently filled each cup with the right amount of food dye to get the right colour tones.
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"The reason I used flowers is because Suu Kyi always has flowers in her hair. There's a reason behind it and it's because her late father, who died when Suu Kyi was only two years old, used to tie carnation flowers in her hair."So that was her way of remembering her father and I think it's also her way of showing her femininity in the midst of all those stressful situations. When I found out about this, I thought it was so sweet and beautiful," she said.Red also said it was her first piece of using live materials when in the past she had always used paint or objects. She believes the use of flowers also symbolises life as Suu Kyi is fighting for the lives of her people.
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Known among her fans as 'the artist who paints but not with a paintbrush', Red shot to fame last year when her painting of Yao Ming using a basketball and Jay Chou using coffee and a cup went viral on Youtube, generating almost a million views on both videos.Born and raised in Kota Kinabalu, Red currently works for an architecture company in Shanghai and had been featured in media around the world, including Huffington Post, Wall Street Journal, ABC and the Daily Mail.
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Her Youtube channel can be found at http://www.youtube.com/ohiseered. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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