Kopitiam Uncle
breaker-line

2020

Las Vegas

Photos by Aaron Wong & Annice Lyn

Two portraits of Malaysian tea vendors, made from dyed tea bags mounted on wooden frames, reflecting scenes of daily life and local culture.

Dried tea bags create a striking, tile-like textural effect when dyed in different intensities. Using this staining technique, two tea bag installation pieces were composed, capturing everyday scenes in Malaysian coffee shops and its local inhabitants.

The first art piece, “Teh Tarik Man” was displayed at the World Economic Forum in 2015. A total of 18,500 tea bags were first steeped in different volumes of water and food dye, then stapled and hung together onto a large wooden frame to create a larger-than-life portrait of a traditional Malaysian tea vendor performing the art of pulling tea known as “Teh Tarik”. The artwork paid homage to the culture of locals gathering together in cafes to enjoy this iconic beverage. Similarly, in 2020, the second tea bag portrait produced upon commission depicted a vendor preparing tea in a local Malaysian coffee shop, or kopitiam. Malaysian daily life and local culture inspired the vivid colors and subjects populating both these portraits.

茶包经过浸染在色调不一的颜料中, 以排砖的方式拼揍出马来西亚咖啡店的日常场景与当地风情。

此茶包系列由两幅作品组成。2015年,首件茶包作品 “Teh Tarik Man” 又称拉茶叔叔在世界经济论坛上展出。先将18,500个茶包浸在不同深浅的食品染料里,之后钉成排,挂在一架大木框上,形成一幅巨型画像。画像描绘一位马来西亚小贩正展现着传统拉茶,这也是所谓的 “Teh Tarik”。该作品是为了表达并发扬马来西亚人聚集在传统咖啡店里享受这具代表性的饮料的文化。其后在2020年,受客户委托,制作了第二幅茶包画像。画内是一位年老的小贩身于咖啡店,呈现着他对泡茶的热衷。

2020

Las Vegas

Photos by Aaron Wong & Annice Lyn

Two portraits of Malaysian tea vendors, made from dyed tea bags mounted on wooden frames, reflecting scenes of daily life and local culture.

Dried tea bags create a striking, tile-like textural effect when dyed in different intensities. Using this staining technique, two tea bag installation pieces were composed, capturing everyday scenes in Malaysian coffee shops and its local inhabitants.

The first art piece, “Teh Tarik Man” was displayed at the World Economic Forum in 2015. A total of 18,500 tea bags were first steeped in different volumes of water and food dye, then stapled and hung together onto a large wooden frame to create a larger-than-life portrait of a traditional Malaysian tea vendor performing the art of pulling tea known as “Teh Tarik”. The artwork paid homage to the culture of locals gathering together in cafes to enjoy this iconic beverage. Similarly, in 2020, the second tea bag portrait produced upon commission depicted a vendor preparing tea in a local Malaysian coffee shop, or kopitiam. Malaysian daily life and local culture inspired the vivid colors and subjects populating both these portraits.

茶包经过浸染在色调不一的颜料中, 以排砖的方式拼揍出马来西亚咖啡店的日常场景与当地风情。

此茶包系列由两幅作品组成。2015年,首件茶包作品 “Teh Tarik Man” 又称拉茶叔叔在世界经济论坛上展出。先将18,500个茶包浸在不同深浅的食品染料里,之后钉成排,挂在一架大木框上,形成一幅巨型画像。画像描绘一位马来西亚小贩正展现着传统拉茶,这也是所谓的 “Teh Tarik”。该作品是为了表达并发扬马来西亚人聚集在传统咖啡店里享受这具代表性的饮料的文化。其后在2020年,受客户委托,制作了第二幅茶包画像。画内是一位年老的小贩身于咖啡店,呈现着他对泡茶的热衷。