Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
GAME CHANGER<br />
Jacket from Michael Kors<br />
“I’ve always thought my path was quite straight, enrolling<br />
in foundation year to graduating architecture school,” she<br />
confesses, disclosing that she chose to study architecture<br />
because it was the middle ground for maths and art – two<br />
subjects that she took a liking to. Though her talent and<br />
exposure to art was evident from a young age, it wasn’t until<br />
she relocated to China in 2011 that she yearned to discover<br />
more about her roots, which in turn prompted her to dabble<br />
in art once again as she “wanted to express how I was feeling<br />
about living in China.”<br />
With her porcelain complexion and almond-shaped<br />
eyes, Red’s distinctive oriental features are a manifestation<br />
of her rich cultural heritage. “My dad’s side of the family is<br />
from Shanghai. My mum’s side is from Guangxi,” says the<br />
Sabahan native whose father runs an engineering firm, while<br />
her mother was a banker.<br />
“When I was a kid, I had always wanted to enter<br />
competitions but the rules and regulations always stated that<br />
it would be held in KL or you had to mail your entry to KL so<br />
I felt like I wasn’t at the centre of it all. What I do appreciate<br />
about Sabah is that I grew up catching bugs, climbing trees<br />
and fishing. My parents brought me on road trips so I got to<br />
appreciate the wildlife and outdoors.”<br />
Pay It Forward<br />
Between juggling numerous speaking engagements and<br />
commissioned projects around the world, Red has also<br />
contributed to her home state through Pillars of Sabah,<br />
a project she initiated and co-organised with her fellow<br />
Sabahan friends, designer Melissa Lo and local filmmaker<br />
Jared Abdul Rahman. <strong>The</strong> first instalment was unveiled to<br />
the public last Malaysia Day, uniting the local community<br />
together through art.<br />
“This particular site is located right smack in the middle<br />
of Kota Kinabalu town and left abandoned since the ‘90s. It<br />
was a colonial building built prior to World War II and was<br />
burnt down,” Red elaborates, disclosing that they initially<br />
wanted to turn the entire site into bright yellow but the recent<br />
election results caught them by surprise. “We thought it would<br />
be nice to use the number 30 as a whole because there were 30<br />
pillars and we wanted to dedicate each pillar to a local artist<br />
who will paint a face of a person who has inspired them.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> success of the first Pillars of Sabah spurred a second<br />
instalment earlier this year in conjunction with Earth Hour to<br />
create environmental awareness. With the support of Sabah<br />
Art Gallery and Sabah Tourism Board, Pillars of Sabah<br />
returned to collaborate with WWF Malaysia and showcase<br />
the artworks of 30 new artists highlighting 30 different<br />
endangered wildlife. <strong>The</strong> project has also brought upon new<br />
exposure to the local artists who participated as they received<br />
numerous requests for commissioned artworks and some even<br />
TM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY <strong>2020</strong><br />
78
Change language