Artist Michael Foo and his ‘coffee bean’ portrait of former health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah. (Rex Tan pic) GEORGETOWN: Coffee beans and sunflower seeds, commonly known as kuaci, are perhaps no more than kitchen perishables for most, but artist Michael Foo Chee Meng has made a name for himself by transforming these into portraits of unforgettable national icons.
The 42-year-old full-time artist and art teacher said the inspiration for making such portraits came as a fleeting thought while munching on a handful of kuaci, when his wife suggested he participate in an arts competition in 2021.
“So I thought why don’t I just use the shell to make some art?” Penang-born Foo told FMT.
Despite not winning any awards in that attempt, his portrait of former health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah became an internet sensation due to the latter’s immense popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic era.
Encouraged by the responses, Foo created new portraits by experimenting with other raw ingredients like coffee beans, green beans, and red beans.
The Penang-born said most of his works are dedicated to famous Penangnites, such as the late artist P Ramlee, retired squash player Nicole David, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and his daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar.
Other national figures that Foo has created using green beans are that of Nurul Izzah Anwar and Siti Hasmah. (Rex Tan pic) Foo also had the honour of gifting Anwar the coffee bean portrait in person when the latter was canvassing votes for the Penang state election in 2023.
The portrait was Foo’s favourite because Anwar is an icon of great political leadership, justice, and perseverance for the artist.
“I thought of making the coffee bean art for him after he was elected prime minister and I hoped to give him the portrait at his Putrajaya office, but that didn’t happen because of his busy schedule.
“Later the state election came and I went to his campaign at Kampung Melayu, Ayer Itam. I waited for him and finally gave him the portrait. He was surprised and very happy,” Foo said.
Besides bringing Foo popularity, these artworks generated some side income for him as two clients commissioned him to create personal portraits using coffee beans.
While Foo traditionally works with everyday pantry staples, his latest project has broken the mould: to depict the regal status of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim, Foo used amethyst crystals in his artwork because of the beauty and prestige associated with the stones.
Foo says creating artworks, whether with coffee beans, green beans or amethyst crystals, is a painstaking endeavour requiring creativity and patience. (Rex Tan pic) From drawing to drying, these portraits are time-consuming and can take up to 12 hours to complete just one piece.
To begin, Foo studies the light and shades of the subject’s contour before drawing an impression of it on paper. A layer of glue is then applied to the shadowy areas before he can carefully place the selected materials onto the surface. The drying process takes at least three hours.
“I need to stick the materials to the shaded areas one-by-one. So, I have to be very patient,” he added.
Foo said that no piece of his artwork, including the five-year-old Noor Hisham portrait, has shown any signs of decay even though he did not apply preservatives to it.
