Shanghai-based artist Hong Yi used 750 pair of socks to create a ‘sock portrait’ of famous Chinese film director Zhang Yimou. Yi.
Describing her inspiration, the artist said:
When I first moved to Shanghai, I stumbled upon an old residential alleyway and saw bamboo sticks poking out of windows with laundry hanging onto them, waving in the air. To me, that was incredibly beautiful. And the amazing thing is seeing something so traditional in a modern, pumping city like Shanghai.
I thought Zhang Yimou’s portrait done in a Shanghainese laneway, with bamboo and laundry would be perfect for this project. I ended up using 750 pairs of socks because shirts were too big and expensive, plus I found an interesting way to pin the socks together, creating a diamond-shaped piece of skin. It was interesting to see the different angles of shadows casted on it throughout the day.
Check out the process below:
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