Stephen Wong turns coffee cups into Hong Kong trail art
SingTao · 1 SOURCES1 day ago5 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong artist Stephen Wong Chun-hei (黃進曦) has partnered with local specialty coffee brand nodi on an art project called “the trail of connection,” creating 10 coffee cups inspired by iconic Hong Kong hiking trails. Wong said he wanted to move art beyond the gallery and use an everyday object to narrow the distance between people, nature and artistic creation. Each cup is paired with a dedicated sticker set so customers can rearrange visual elements and become part of the creative process themselves. The project also draws on Wong’s long-running practice of hiking and sketching local landscapes, from popular routes to lesser-known paths across Hong Kong
Key Points
- Wong described the collaboration as a chance to step outside his comfort zone and present work beyond gallery spaces through disposable coffee cups
- He said cup design differs from flat works because viewers must rotate the cup to see the full composition, changing how images are structured
- The 10-cup series is based on Hong Kong trails including Tai Tung Shan, Ap Chau, Lion Rock and Tai Mei Tuk, mixing famous and less-visited locations
- Wong created separate sticker packs for each cup, encouraging people to place elements freely, even across different trail designs, to make unique versions
- Wong said his strongest emotional attachment is to Tai Tung Shan, where he began hiking and sketching more than a decade ago, often drawing old missionary stone houses
Why It Matters
The project shows how Hong Kong artists and local brands are using ordinary urban routines to make art participation more accessible for people who may never enter a gallery. By centring local trails, it also reframes Hong Kong’s countryside as connected, familiar and culturally meaningful rather than distant from city life