ARTWORKS | renihaymond

Series 1 - Hidden Taste in Hong Kong Alleys

Hong Kong, a bustling hub where goods flow like turning wheels, yet beneath the relentless pace of this "unforgiving era," many are left struggling to keep up. I take a closer look at those crushed under the weight of progress across different districts—people seldom noticed, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Art isn’t always about grandeur; it can also be grounded in simplicity. Using the most ordinary tools and an objective perspective, I interview them, seeking to understand their thoughts as friends. How do they feel about Hong Kong? What are their fears and hopes? Then, we place "them" in my artwork, layering on extraordinary colors, transforming them into extraordinary protagonists—making this a sustainable theme.

Are they overlooked because they can’t keep up with the trends and left behind by high technology? Because their income can’t match society’s inflation? Or because societal progress has led to fading values and human warmth with each generation? Or is it simply that profit and loyalty can never coexist?

Series 2 - Negligence of The Wildlife

Which wild animals are facing extinction? Their names hover on the tip of my tongue, yet I can't speak them aloud.

Using the distinct texture of the ballpoint pen and stark contrasting colors, I convey a sigh of sorrow and helplessness—for these creatures soon to vanish from the emerald plains and the crystalline depths of the ocean."

Series 3 - Cosmopolitan Sutra - Seasons

This is a series of artwork in East meets West style, and each of them represents different stages of love. One of the styles is the Bijinga, which are pictures of beautiful women in Japanese art, especially in woodblock printing of the ukiyo-e genre, which predates photography and is a genre of woodblock prints and paintings that was produced in Japan from the 17th century to the 19th century.

Another style used is the Op art, a style which was popular among western countries in the 20th century, which uses repetition of simple forms and colors to create vibrating effects, moiré patterns, foreground-background confusion, an exaggerated sense of depth, and other visual effects.

The east meets west style and combination of classic and modern has developed a sense of humor, through the chemical reaction of cross cultural communication between people which is presented in this ball pen artwork.

Series 4 - Cage

In Hong Kong and other urban jungles, amid the frantic rush of daily life—do we ever pause to look up at our sky? What does it even look like anymore? A forest of concrete pillars? A tangle of endless power lines? Clear blue or perpetual smog?

Has modern urbanization gone too far, or is this just "progress"? Are we building for necessity, or just competing in some global race?

In the future, will the storms and sunshine above us be real—or just holograms?

This series questions our blind march forward. When we forget to stop and observe, our so-called "progress" becomes its own kind of regression.

Series 5 - KIDULT

Since childhood, I've been fascinated by the ever-changing colors and materials of sneakers. From the futuristic styles of the past to today's retro nostalgia, that unique ideology never fails to captivate.

What kind of chemical reaction occurs when ordinary, seemingly bland ballpoint pens meet cutting-edge brand sneakers through the use of color and pattern arrangement?

Series 6 - Between the Lines

Inspired by the words of renowned contemporary sculptor Ju Ming:
'Humans - at once the wisest and most foolish, the kindest and cruelest, those who suffer most yet experience greatest joy - all exist within the fluctuation of a single thought.'

Three Chinese literary classics I deeply cherish:
The Classic of Mountains and Seas, Journey to the West, and Investiture of the Gods.
Both sources ultimately narrate the same fundamental truth - the human condition.

Thus, I have simplified and reimagined the colors of ballpoint ink to depict the reflections of humanity I've observed, along with my life realizations - past, present and future. The three 'calligraphic paintings' Cloud, Thousand, Blue do not necessarily convey their literal meanings ('However thick the clouds may loom, infinite clear skies must lie beyond'). The core philosophy of this series lies in: Seeing through life's innumerable uncuttable, endlessly entangled threads.

Life is but the most fascinating playground. Rather than debate whether we're divine or monstrous, why not take up the director's role ourselves?

Series 7 - Project - I

This could be considered either a playful or deeply serious series.

On life's journey, we inevitably encounter turns in the road. At first, we fear it might lead to a dead end—only to gradually realize that what seemed like an endpoint is actually the start of another path. To put it in somewhat clichéd terms: this is what we call "dreams."

What if everything that happens around us, every person we meet, could be inverted with a single keystroke—like pressing "Ctrl+I" in Photoshop—flipping not just appearances but personalities too? What kind of world would that reveal?

Series 8 - Volume

For a long time, the ballpoint pen has been bound by rigid perceptions—"Mistakes can't be erased," "It's just a writing tool." But I believe these are its inherent traits—not flaws, but proof that it has a soul, not just a hollow shell.

I strip away its stereotypes and reimagine it with a distinct personality, sparking new possibilities. By contrasting different frequencies, I construct new worlds beyond conventional frameworks—each with its own direction and form. Through this conceptual approach, I challenge its obsolescence in the face of high technology.

The spaces and dimensions of thought created by the ballpoint pen are open and boundless. Emerging from series like <<Blood-Stained Vanity>>, <<Trapped in Battle>>, and <<Between the Lines>>, they speak a universal language—globalization.

Series 10 - Awakening in the darkness

Out the the series (2013- )

Chu River

In the autumn of 202 BC, Xiang Yu and the Han army reached a truce, agreeing to divide the empire along the Hong Canal—marking the west as Han and the east as Chu. This became the famed "Chu-Han Contention" in history, a metaphor for an unmistakable boundary.

Placing China’s pivotal history onto the chessboard, we see the iconic "Chu River" and "Han Border" in Chinese chess. Red and Blue—are they conflict or harmony? Horizontal and Vertical—are they barriers or pathways? Can the two never merge, or is it simply that the right moment has yet to arrive?