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.
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.
