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| “Ocean of Love” ceiling installation |
Large installations by Mark Chai include Styrofoam light sculptures, suspended cardboard creations, and murals.
When the Honolulu Star-Bulletin featured Mark Chai arts, the full-color picture that graced the cover was of his Styrofoam ceiling installation, “Ocean of Love.”
Reporter Scott Vogel wrote, “On the ceiling in Chai’s living room is a, uh, sculpture of sorts, the meaning of which becomes clear only gradually. Somehow I’ve avoided asking him about it (or even looking at it too closely) … An orb hangs from the center, punctured with a number of plastic tubes that in a former life housed catheters. Orbiting this egg cell of sorts is a number of eager male sex cells; they bob and weave gently in the afternoon breeze.”
The “Wave Form” is carved from a single piece of Styrofoam, almost 10′ long. Fitted with a standard 8′ fluorescent light fixture, it glows soft pink.
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| “Wave Form” light fixture Styrofoam on wooden legs, fluorescent fixture 116″ x 17″ x 40″ high |
The giant “Coffee Cup” was featured on KHNL TV News8, and is in the permanent collection at Coffee Talk in Kaimuki. The three-foot high cardboard cup is formed of cascading concentric circles, ranging in diameter from 4 feet to 2 feet, and weighs close to 150 pounds. Its retro-futuristic, cartoon-like design is inspired by the Jetsons.
“Inspiration” is a 14 foot long, free form sculpture that evokes a sinuous spine. It’s constructed of wood, and cardboard treated to look like copper. It was commissioned by Inspiration Furniture at Pearlridge.
Mark Chai murals are seen at the Honolulu Hard Rock Cafe, and San Francisco’s E&O Trading Company.