Spotlight on YAFies: Wong Yan-yan

Professional Glass Artist

How did you become a glass artist?
I began working with glass as an art material when I was studying architecture and environmental design at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. I returned to Hong Kong after graduation, working as a workshop assistant for Wong Kwok-chung – a renowned local glass artist – and learning glass art at the same time. In 2011, I went back to school, studying for my Master’s degree in glass art at Shanghai University; and in 2014, I set up my glass art studio and have worked as a glass artist ever since.

​What makes glass so fascinating?
I’m fascinated by the amorphous state of glass and how it can be moulded into various objects and forms. Glass transforms when it’s exposed to various temperatures. It melts like maltose syrup with a radiant orange glow when it’s heated to 900°C or above. When it cools down, it becomes as sturdy and smooth as ice, creating sharp edges when it shatters. 

What are the different types of glass art?
There are three main types of glass art techniques – hot glass, warm glass and cold glass. Hot glass involves working with molten glass in temperatures above 1,000℃ in glass blowing, lampworking and sand casting. Warm glass, also known as kiln-formed glass, works with glass by heating it in a kiln between 750 and 900℃. Cold glass works with unheated glass, such as stained glass windows found in churches, etched glass and laminated glass. Even though there are different types of glass techniques, a glass artist can use a combination of techniques in his or her creative process.

What is the most unexpected thing you learnt from studying glass art?
Because of its amorphous state, I feel inspired every time I work with glass. Unlike art forms like ceramics where you can shape the artwork with your hands, glass art requires tools to sculpt the work under specific temperatures. Working with glass demands a different pace. You can’t work with it by force. Learning about glass art has also taught me to always take my time and stay calm.

What is your creative process when it comes to creating glass art?
Glass is a contradictory substance and it resembles the contradictions we face in life. This is why I enjoy working with glass so much. My process usually begins by investigating the relationship between life and the qualities of glass. In my artwork series Crochet with Glass, I crocheted a scarf using glass fibres, exploring the conflicting qualities between the softness and hardness of the material. What's more, creating a scarf with an unconventional material is an interesting contradiction in itself. Who would want to wear a scarf made of glass?

Crochet with Glass (2014)

Glass art restoration is also an art in itself. What restoration projects did you work on and what challenges did you encounter?
In 2017, I was invited by Studio Glass Hong Kong to restore several stained glass windows at Haw Par Mansion. It was one of the most memorable restoration projects I’d worked on. The windows were over 80 years old with various signs of wear and tear and oxidisation on the metal parts. We were limited by time and could only restore one of the windows in the main hall that sustained severe damages from years of exposure to the sun and rain. The most critical challenge we experienced was figuring out how to dismantle the glass for restoration in the safest way possible. It took us three months to figure it out. The entire restoration process took over seven months. Last year, I restored another set of stained glass windows in the mansion and secretly added my signature on it. I wonder if anyone will notice it.

Yan-yan (right) restoring a section of the stained glass windows at Haw Par Mansion

One of the stained glass windows at Haw Par Mansion

How would you pass on the age-old craft of glass art as a professional artist?
​The history of glass art dates back to over 5,000 years ago. Ancient glass is muddy in colour compared to the colourless substance we have today. The craftsmanship had only survived thanks to countless generations of glass artists passing their skills down to new students. Glass art is a popular art form in other countries, and Hong Kong only just caught on in the last 10 years or so. Nevertheless, it’s an underdeveloped art here since it isn’t included in the school curriculum. I hope to introduce more people to the craft through teaching. Aside from teaching glass art at my studio, I also led the Standard Chartered Arts in the Park 2020 Emerging Artist Mentorship Programme: Stained Glass strand last year, teaching a group of young graduating artists the entire process of creating stained glass artworks, how to cut and fit glass and other essential skills about glass art.

If you weren’t an artist, what would you be?

If I didn’t study art, I’d probably study science and go into research. Research is an interesting process that needs meticulous data collection, observation and analytics skills. I’d also learn something new in every step of the research process.

If you could time travel, which year would you travel back to?
I believe in reincarnation and would hope to visit my past life. I’m curious about what animal I used to be – was I a person, a tree or a fish? But I don’t want to travel back in time within this lifetime. I wouldn’t be who I am today without experiencing everything I’d already gone through. As for the future, I prefer keeping it a mystery and discover what it has in store for me one day at a time. 

What’s your favourite book?
My favourite books are Naoko Takagi’s illustration series 150cm Life. The books follow a 150cm-tall character and her encounters in life and at work. I’m 153cm tall and I can relate to many scenarios in life that Takagi amusingly portrays in her books.