Small in scale but dense in meaning, snuff bottles carry a story shaped by touch, ritual and ornament. In “Touch Tint Trace”, visual artist Yuchen Li (Moxi) and makeup artist Kyra Lui translate these objects into a living surface, using the human face to explore their form, function and emotional weight.
Once used in late imperial China to store tobacco for medicinal purposes, snuff bottles evolved through their intricate carvings and painted patterns into objects valued as much for their visual language as for their use.
“A pocket-sized collection of objects, each bearing the weight of time, a cultural gift of depth and richness, worn close to the skin.” These are the words “Touch Tint Trace” co-authors visual artist Yuchen Li (Moxi) and makeup artist Kyra Lui chose to describe the subject of their digital paintings: snuff bottles.
Although these pocket-sized containers were once used in late Imperial China to store tobacco for medicinal purposes, their intricate carvings and painted patterns eventually elevated them beyond utility, turning them into objects admired as works of art. It is precisely this intersection of function and aesthetics that informs ‘Touch Tint Trace’, where the human face becomes a canvas through which the language of the snuff bottle is reinterpreted.
Inspired by the Fuyun Xuan collection at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Kyra first imagined snuff bottles as the basis for an art project after returning to Hong Kong from London. The vibrant colors and elaborate decoration contained in such miniature forms stayed with her, eventually finding a natural connection to her own medium: makeup. For Moxi, whose photographic practice often explores Chinese cultural narratives, working with Kyra to reinterpret these historical objects through beauty photography became an organic extension of her work. “Touch Tint Trace” therefore looks at more than the objects themselves, it opens up a wider conversation about memory, identity and cultural heritage.
During the eighteenth century, snuff bottles were mainly circulated within the Imperial court, where they signified privilege, exclusivity and social status. By the nineteenth century, production expanded and the objects became more widely accessible, although they retained their original medicinal purpose. Because the powdered tobacco they contained came in direct contact with the skin, snuff bottles held a familiar place in everyday life. As they gradually entered museum collections, this familiarity disappeared. Through the combined languages of makeup and photography, Moxie and Kyra seek to restore this personal relationship, returning objects from the distance of the showcase to the immediacy of the human body.
Across the series, six models incorporate the snuff bottles through carefully considered compositions that alter perspective, proportion and scale. In several images, the facial features directly echo the objects themselves: the eyes adopt the colors of the bottle caps, while the lips reflect the tones of the bottle bodies. However, the work extends beyond the literal resemblance. Rather than simply reproducing historical objects, artists create images that evoke sensation and emotion.
One composition places two models face to face, reflecting the dual form of the paired bottles while suggesting intimacy through their shared gaze. Hair also becomes a key material within the project. Working with stylists from France and Japan, Moxi and Kyra use bristles to recreate the irregular textures found on carved surfaces, allowing them to gently sweep the face or hide it completely.
Ultimately, “Touch Tint Trace” shows how makeup and photography can communicate not only the appearance of the snuff bottle, but also its history, purpose and emotional appeal. Rather than treating these objects solely as museum pieces or aesthetic references, Moxie and Kyra approach them as living cultural forms. Their images give the bottles presence and personality, restoring the physical intimacy they once held in everyday life. Through beauty photography, artists move these historical objects beyond the museum, returning them to the body, the place where their history began.
Words from CARLOTTA ROSE BUSETTO
Creative Directors YOUCHEN LEE (MOXI), KYRA LUI
Photographer Yuchen Li (MOXI)
Makeup artist LADY LOUIS
Hairdressers FABIEN PICOT, SAIKO HAYASHI
Models MINIE CHAN, JANE FU at XDIRECTN AGENCY, ERIKA
KAIJA WING LAI, JOHN LIU at the Crumb Agency HAZEL STEPHEN at Genesis Model Management
General Assistant THE CHAN WILL PASS
Special thanks BRIAN WONGHong Kong Museum of Art Staff/Team & Ruby
