Motherhood has taken away artist Red Hong Yi’s luxury of time, but it has given her something in return – a deeper appreciation for color and how uplifting it can be. Seeing her son’s colorful toys got her thinking about art that makes people stop and see the bright side of things, and whether that’s what she should be focusing on.
Shortly after her delivery late last year, it was time to explore Louis Vuitton’s new triplex store in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. The French luxury fashion house had invited her to design three exclusive pieces for its newest store and also recommend some local artists for the decoration.
“I told my husband, ‘This is a very important project. I have to go right now’ – and ran out. I needed a break.” With the baby in her arms, her perception of time has changed. “I definitely don’t have as much time anymore, so I prioritize every moment. I have to be very purposeful. That also influences my art; it makes me think about what I really want to create and why. Because it will take time.”
Louis Vuitton’s newest store officially opened on July 24. Among the many luxury items, both iconic and new, are Hong Yi’s terrain And Zigzag 1 And Zigzag 2, Works that reflect their new perspective of appreciating the present more and thinking in generations, not just in relation to themselves.
“The brand wanted a bright palette that evokes vibrant, positive feelings. That resonates with a lot of people because there’s so much in the world to get upset about if you really want to focus on it, right?”
The summary terrain is made of horizontal blocks with a canvas base on which she has applied red calligraphy paper and sprayed with bright colors. Three stripes with burn marks give it an “imperfect” touch. It hangs on a wall in the women’s universe on level 3, where elegant lines, rich materials and warm, earthy tones create a beautiful balance with pink and red handbags, wearable swim shorts, flowing skirts and soft tops.
Cheerful orange, yellow, pink and red make visitors stop and look at the work, a whole piece of canvas folded to give it layered depth. It reminds the artist of time and place, “of where we are, because when you cut through the earth, the terrain you see is essentially a contraction of time.”
The burn marks on terrain are characteristic of her way of making art in the studio: “I have burned a lot in the past,” says Hong Yi modestly, without revealing that she TIME Cover from April 2021 with Climate is everythinga part sculpture, part performance project that the magazine approached her for. She and her team constructed a world map out of 50,000 green-tipped matches to represent trees, then lit them – to show that no country would be safe if people ignored the climate crisis.
The totems commissioned by Louis Vuitton tell a more cheerful story. They are made of metal and covered with sand before being painted in red, yellow, orange, purple and blue, the last shade representing water and a dreamy quality. Both stand like sentinels in the men’s universe, where cool tones and noble materials dominate, creating bright contrasts with black sportswear and shoes, leather goods, travel suitcases, watches, furniture and home accessories.
“Traditionally, totems are things that are passed down from generation to generation. They (document) the stories of many indigenous tribes, so every time you stack something to create a totem, you’re telling a story.”
The stacking rings her son plays with at home are like his own totem, she says. “To be honest, that was part of the inspiration,” says Hong Yi, who plans to create 30 totems for an exhibition next year.
Before that, however, she was asked to design an installation for the Malaysian pavilion at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, Japan. Her brief is to design a tree that shows the intertwining of the country’s different cultures. The event starts in April and will last for six months. The theme is Shaping the future society for our lives.
Thirty is also the number for a series of artworks she is working on to capture her first month as a mother. “I set myself a very ambitious project: every day I would create a work of art to express how I feel.”
No sooner said than done, as there was no time for artistic activities. Instead, she started keeping a diary and using doodles and lines to express what she thought about her new role. “I hesitated for a long time because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be a mother or if it was an option for me. Now I am very happy and grateful because having a child gives me a lot of meaning.”
She expresses the conflicting emotions she felt in the first few months after giving birth – being woken up in the early hours by a crying baby, the pain of breastfeeding, and the joy and tiredness that comes with it all – in words hand-sewn onto 30 pieces of muslin. She plans to show them online first, but if an exhibition comes along, that’ll be great.
“I’m a little scared because I feel so vulnerable sharing these things. People don’t talk about how difficult or how emotional it is. I want to be honest in my work.”
Hong Yi, 37, is glad she is an older mother and is at a point in her life where her career is stable and she can take time off when she needs to. “I’m still very ambitious; I still want to do a lot of things. But for now, I’m enjoying it.”
In January this year, she represented The Back Room gallery in Zhongshan Building, KL, at ArtSG, where she exhibited Motherwith the red silhouette of a pregnant woman – herself – and hand-embroidered words on the left and right sides of the figure describing how she felt before and after the birth of her son. Embroidery is not her strong suit, but she chose to do it because her memory of motherhood is the image of her own mother embroidering.
“I had a lot of thoughts and feelings about how I was feeling. I wanted the feelings to be very real and genuine.” At first she was in charge of the embroidery. But soon feeding and caring for the baby won out. Then she wrote all the words by hand and her team took over the embroidery.
Mother Visitors crowded around to read her emotions at the Singapore art fair, Hong Yi’s first. “I was really surprised that people were so moved; I think it resonated with a lot of mothers.”
Her creations for Louis Vuitton are the first to be permanently exhibited in a store, and working with the company has inspired her to strive for the high standards of finesse and craftsmanship for which the company is known worldwide.
“LV wants all artwork to be abstract and I am very honored that they asked me to be their muse and create these pieces! I have done figurative pieces in the past; this is the first time I am working on abstract art.”
She remembers being given a tour of the other boutique at The Exchange TRX and being “blown away by the level of detail and thought that went into every object on display, from the furniture to the wallpaper to the lighting. I feel like I want to take myself to the same level.”
Hong Yi expresses his admiration for Virgil Abloh, the brand’s late menswear artistic director, “an amazing visionary” who studied architecture. “I looked up to him. When you know that someone like him can do it, you feel very inspired as an architect too.”
Singer, songwriter, rapper and producer Pharrell Williams, who joined as creative director of menswear in February 2023, impresses her with his vision. She believes that public figures like her “make the brand much more relevant to designers and, I suspect, to millennials and the younger generation as well.”
Art enhances the appeal of the Pavilion outlet, whose 11 m high exterior facade interprets the brand monogram through perforated aluminum panels and offers glimpses into the luxurious, inviting interior. A stone staircase connects levels 2 and 3, where a Mondrian-inspired pattern of metallic decorations and light cuts are striking elements that invite you to linger and browse.
A painted and woven straw artwork created especially for him by artist Mook is the highlight of a private client salon on the third level. Above is another salon with handmade wallpaper from Martin Berger’s French studio. Also on level 4, arches of Botticino marble and walls inlaid with mother-of-pearl invite visitors to walk through the space and try on ready-to-wear clothes and shoes, or take a breather on vintage furniture covered in soft fabrics.
The store also has artworks by four other Malaysians: Nasrul Rokes, Fendy Zakri, Fauzan Fuad and Fazrin Abd Rahman.
The brand had contacted Hong Yi to find out which local artists inspired them and what they were doing. They consulted Liza Ho, founder of The Back Room, who gave feedback on the proposals and helped curate the works.
“Collaborating with a brand known for its rich history was a unique experience and we are glad that Louis Vuitton was very open to ideas,” says Ho. “It was natural for us to involve contemporary Malaysian artists who can convey a global visual language while bringing a local flair to the space.”
As curators and mothers, she and Hong Yi wanted to find a harmonious balance between “showcasing our talent and complementing the image and interior design. And since it’s a new business, we wanted to be young, exciting and distinctly local.”
This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia on July 29, 2024.
