Hong Kong artist’s 500 illustrations of toast cover cafe’s entire wall

Toast can be made in many ways, as we discovered after visiting Ztoryhome, a cafe in Sai Ying Pun on Hong Kong Island, where a display of 500 illustrations of toast from around the world takes up an entire wall. Featuring toast from cities including Tokyo, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, New York and Seoul, “#toast500” – on now until August 17 – was created by Tam Ka-yan, a Hong Kong-born Gen Z artist who also goes by Nomkakaii. The exhibition is the 22-year-old’s first showcase since her return to Hong Kong from the US, where she earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. “I tell everyone I see toast as a canvas, because the person who makes it is going to make it differently. It’s the same as drawing,” she says. The project is the result of a two-and-a-half-year journey that began in the US. “I want to bring it back home, find my community, and share with people here who I am.” Tam’s passion for art stems from childhood. As an introvert, she discovered that brushes and colours could help her express her emotions. “Sometimes, I can’t find the right words, so I just start drawing and then suddenly I will have words next to it,” she says. “When I draw, I just don’t hear anything.” Although Tam loved drawing, something was missing in her work. “When you grow up in Hong Kong, you’re usually taught how to make things look really good, whether it’s your grades or skills, but you don’t have your own opinion and your artistic voice,” she says. Everything changed when she began studying in the US. Inspired by her professors’ advice to cultivate a habit by doing an activity every day for seven consecutive days, Tam came up with the idea to draw bread and toast, which she describes as “having so many combinations that would never run out”. In October 2022, she began her toast project, creating artwork on Procreate, a creative application made for Apple’s iPad. She began creating her toast illustrations in her dorm room, drawing toast she had made herself and collaborating with other content creators to expand the series. When she needed inspiration, she would visit local cafes, transforming their toast into art. She says that people would often become interested in what she was doing. Interacting with different people not only infused her project with fresh creativity and art but also boosted her confidence, leading to personal growth and drawing her out of her shell. “[The process] is like an evolution of an introvert,” she says. Tam has a particular fondness for cafes as her first part-time job was in one. She says she understands better than most the passion required to work behind the counter, which is why she hopes her drawings can bring staff some joy, even if just for a few minutes, and remind them that their efforts are appreciated by those they serve. “Every time I find a new cafe, I try to draw something and give it to them so that it kind of serves as encouragement,” she says. She recalls a memorable moment at a cosy Tokyo cafe where she shared her toast artwork with the somewhat reserved staff member who made it, and the big smile they had when they received her drawing. A similar moment happened at her favourite Los Angeles cafe, when a staff member chased after her to praise her work – a toast drawing on a napkin – and express his gratitude. “For some reason, [those scenes] also changed a lot of things in me, where I don’t feel so alone any more,” she says. After returning to Hong Kong this year, Tam has continued to devote herself to the toast series and has introduced new creative elements to the project, taking her artwork to the next level. “I’m always thinking, how can I make a drawing look even more appetising?” During a recent visit to Minimal, a cafe in Sham Shui Po, Tam attempted to translate the sensory experience of eating its toast – which featured citrus-flavoured cream and grapefruit slices – with illustrated soda pop bubbles and cloudlike patterns as background elements in the final piece. Tam states that she plans to continue expanding her toast series, possibly creating up to 1,000 pieces. “My life philosophy is no matter what I do, just do my best,” she says. #toast500 is on display until August 17 at Ztoryhome, 118 Queen’s Road West, Sai Ying Pun

Hong Kong artist’s 500 illustrations of toast cover cafe’s entire wall

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Gen Z artist Nomkakaii’s toast project, on display at Ztoryhome in Sai Ying Pun, helped boost her confidence and artistic voice

Gen Z artist Nomkakaii’s toast project, on display at Ztoryhome in Sai Ying Pun, helped boost her confidence and artistic voice