Culinary Masterpiece: Steven Tang Reimagines Hong Kong's Flavors

Steven Tang's Instagram account might initially appear to be the profile of a food influencer. His posts are filled with vibrant images of traditional local dishes like roasted meat rice, egg tarts, and instant noodles with luncheon meat. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that these images are not photographs but rather intricate hand-drawn illustrations.

Since its inception in 2018, Tang’s Instagram page has garnered over 45,000 followers. Many have commented that his artwork makes them “drool,” while others admire the realistic quality of his drawings. Tang is entirely self-taught, having never received formal art training. He shared with HKFP that he never anticipated that drawing with colored pencils would turn his childhood hobby into a full-time profession.

As a food enthusiast, Tang began sharing his food art as a way to bring his favorite dishes to life on paper. His first artwork to gain public attention was a bowl of Yunnan-style rice noodles from the popular local restaurant chain TamJai. Since then, he has been invited to participate in group exhibitions, some of which were centered around food-related realist art. In 2023, he was featured at Art Central, and last year, he participated in the Affordable Art Fair.

Despite how lifelike Tang’s work appears, he insists it is not exactly "real." Sometimes, he uses photos of food for reference or purchases food items to bring to his studio to create the ideal version of the dish. He may alter the form and structure of the food to make it more visually appealing.

When drawing a plate of siu mei rice, a Cantonese dish featuring steamed rice and roasted meat, Tang added some char siu pieces even though he couldn’t find the perfect barbecued pork. This allowed his drawing to not be constrained by how the chef prepared the dish. “Whether you can ‘make stuff up’ depends on your experience, meaning how many times you’ve drawn that item before,” he said in Cantonese.

Some dishes that Tang personally loves may not appear in his drawings because they are “slathered with sauces on top,” which might not look visually inviting. He must consider what “can sell” when making a drawing, according to the artist.

Tang is inspired to draw everyday Hong Kong cuisine partly to share his passion for food with the world and partly because he is concerned that some dishes may disappear, especially in a city where store closures are common. The Chinese University of Hong Kong graduate created a drawing of a two-dish rice meal from a campus canteen he often visited during his bachelor’s degree in computer science. Since the eatery closed, he has not found the same taste elsewhere.

“Some people may say that taking a photo is enough, but I think making a drawing renders it more memorable. I think it is quite meaningful to capture the tastes that may be disappearing through my drawings,” he said.

Creating realistic food art for over seven years has presented Tang with challenges. He sometimes struggles to come up with creative ways to present familiar Hong Kong food. He previously drew the famous “pork patty mountain rice” dish from Man Shing Restaurant in the shape of Lion Rock, as well as dim sum dishes on skewers.

Keeping his creativity alive is not easy, Tang said. Beyond meticulously designing the composition of his drawings, he also spends considerable time planning the presentation of his work on social media. He used to post time-lapse videos documenting his creative process, which initially attracted a lot of engagement.

However, with content algorithms changing over the years, Tang finds it harder to promote his work. To make his art more engaging, he has started incorporating real-life utensils, such as bamboo sticks and chopsticks, in his short videos to attract more attention on Instagram.

The biggest challenge Tang faces is managing his own drawing studio and teaching classes. He used to spend hours on each piece, sacrificing sleep. Now, he often feels too exhausted. He understands that many full-time artists work closely with galleries and dedicate all their time to creating new pieces instead of teaching.

He recognizes this may be a step he needs to take if he wants to advance his career as an artist, but he is not ready to give up teaching yet, especially since he is unsure whether he can make a living solely by relying on art sales.

“The art market may not necessarily like my work, so it is a gamble,” he said.

Not threatened by AI

Tang has big plans for next year, including his first-ever solo exhibition in September. He will need to create more than 10 new drawings for the show. He also aims to revive his YouTube channel, which has been dormant for over five years, and continues to fill the gap in drawing tutorials, of which few are conducted in Cantonese.

As artificial intelligence (AI) technology advances, many machines can recreate images based on prompts asking for specific artist styles. When asked if he feels the rise of AI threatens his work, Tang is confident that successful artists will not lose their value.

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Emerging artists like himself must now build a unique personal brand that allows the audience to distinguish their artworks from those generated by AI, he said. “AI perhaps can generate a painting by Van Gogh, but you will not think that his work is worthless because of AI,” he said. “I hope that one day, when people talk about coloured-pencil artists in Hong Kong, I will be the first name that comes to their mind.”