Drawing on milk carton

FACES OF THE UNIVERSE SERIESPAINTINGS ON TETRA PAK CARTONS  |   2019-present29.4cm x 29.6cm

hoi Ok-yeung is an artist who fearlessly explores the vast themes of infinity and immensity through his art. His creative inquiries revolve around the universe, the earth, and nature—grand subjects that provide him with endless inspiration and serve as the foundation of his artistic practice.

One of Choi’s most distinctive ongoing projects involves drawing human faces on used milk cartons every day, as if composing a daily journal. This intimate, repetitive act offers a counterpoint to his large-scale land art installations conducted outdoors. While his outdoor works harmonize with nature on a monumental scale, his milk carton drawings create a parallel universe indoors—small yet profound.

To Choi, the human figure is a microcosm, and the face its essence. Using swift, minimal movements of brush and ink, he captures the universe within the limited surface of a milk carton. Each line becomes a gesture of life, a reflection of the cosmos rendered on a humble canvas.

This body of work began around 2015, though Choi does not recall the exact moment of its inception. Since then, he has continued to explore the universe from what might seem the smallest and most trivial of places. It is an irony that resonates deeply with the artist: that the infinite can begin on something as ordinary as a milk carton. For Choi, this modest canvas holds profound significance and represents an ongoing challenge to express the limitless.

Choi’s artistic practice extends beyond mere creation. It is a philosophical exploration of how the universe and humanity, nature and the microcosm, are intricately interconnected. Through this work, he simultaneously contemplates the beauty of nature and the complexity of human existence, seeking to understand how these two realms can merge into one.