Whether she's constructing portraits out of socks and sunflower seeds or painting with coffee cups and basketballs, Red's innovative artistic style always results in an impressive work of art. The artist, who also goes by Hong Yi, is back with yet another portrait of a figure in the public eye, this time tackling the visage of an American known worldwide. Her sculptural portrait befittingly titled Facebook presents Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's face in three columns of carved and stacked books.
In the past, Red's subjects were popular Chinese figures, since she's based in Shanghai. However, she recently took a trip to America and felt it would be most appropriate to reconstruct the portrait of a famous American to memorialize the visit. She originally set out to ask fans and friends on Facebook who her next subject should be, but realized she already knew exactly who to portray.
Red's technique in constructing the piece was inspired by work she was doing for her day job at an architecture firm. She was working on a facade system on the side of buildings that would allow some light in while blocking direct sun exposure. Using this technique, the creative artist sliced grooves into the 36 thick books over the course of 7 days to cast the shadows and contours that form the entrepreneur's face.
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