5 Hong Kong artists illustrate their take on the pandemic

More popularly known as Cath Love, Catherine Grossrieder is a Hong Kong-based artist whose works you might have seen in the form of murals around the city. She has worked with brands H&M, Jimmy Choo, Selfridges, Nike, and Lane Crawford. Her most well-known creation is a curvaceous cartoon character called Jeliboo, whom she uses as a symbol that challenges stereotypes of female representation. Since February she has been posting cute images of Jeliboo on her Instagram account defeating the virus and even poking fun on the shortage of tissue paper in Hong Kong. Her Jeliboo' kick-Covid-19' sticker sheets are currently for sale at clubthird.com.

This illustration is one of our favourites. 

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"When there’s a bog roll/toilet paper shortage in Hong Kong..." - Catherine Grossrieder

Follow her on Instagram @cathloverosatwo

Hong Kong-based comic artist – known for her detailed sequential drawings of women – Little Thunder, is one of the most successful artists in our city's art scene. Her works have graced well-known brands like Nike, Shu Uemura, Dior and she's even authored graphic novels including a three-part graphic novel, Kylooe. Her Instagram account holds over 647K followers that she regularly entertains with posts on her artworks and processes. We visited her page to find out her take on the current situation and she has posted several illustrations about the pandemic, with reminders for her followers to use this time to be productive and better themselves while staying in. This one's our favourite. 

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A post shared by Little Thunder (@littlethunder) on Apr 3, 2020 at 5:05am PDT

"Don’t wear it like that." - Little Thunder  

Follow her on Instagram @littlethunder

Illustrator Claudia Chanhoi is known for her colourful cartoon-based illustrations of the body parts of well-endowed females with pokes of fun, whimsy, and sarcasm. Her distinct style started in 2013, for her project, Sexual Objectification of Women, at London College of Communication, where she was studying graphic and media design. She went on to do these kinds of illustrations and started posting on Instagram. Initially, Instagram would remove her displayed artworks due to their explicit content but eventually she got around its regulations. Today, the artist has worked with numerous brands and media agencies, and has exhibited her works many times in Hong Kong and various parts of the world. 

We peeked at her IG account to see what she is scribbling about the current situation. She reposted an earlier work that would resonate well for people munching their way in home isolation.

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"Officially my quarantine body 🥔" – Claudia Chanhoi

Follow her on Instagram @brainxeyes 

Isatisse is a brand created by illustrator Isabel Tong. Her illustrations are printed on various retail products like fashion accessories, stationaries, soft furnishings, clothing, and art pieces. Her style of sketch is fun and quirky with the use of bold colours and strokes. Over the years she has collaborated with various brands like Eslite HK, Apple, APLF Leather and Material Fair, and Sanrio Hong Kong. Her products are available at PMQ and at HKTDC Design Gallery, but she regularly posts her illustrations on Instagram. Since January, she has delighted her Instagram followers with entertaining posts about masks, working from home, and lately, inspirational and motivational posts about overcoming the pandemic together. Check out this post about working from home. 

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"Home office. Are you missing your normal working days? Are you starting to miss your colleagues?" – Isatisse

Follow her on Instagram @isatisse

Tse Sai Pei is a character created by Hong Kong-based illustrator Jasmine Tse. Tse Sai Pei is a Cantonese slang that means physically and mentally exhausted and lacking motivation. Jasmine gained popularity online when her drawings that she posted began to resonate with the stories and experiences of millennial Hongkongers. Her works have since then graced various brands and editorial publications. Her Instagram account has over 95K followers, where she constantly posts her illustrations. Since the virus plagued the city, she has been publishing illustrations about the subject. This one resonates with every one of us who is just waiting for everything to be over. 

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"Waiting for the end to arrive – Tse Sai Pei 

Follow her on Instagram @tsesaipei