CREATOR OF PAPER KINETIC SCULPTURES
DOESN'T STOP WORKING
That’s because NTU Undergraduate Low Zi Hao is determined to bring a change to the local art scene.
By Tham Ya
Low Zi Hao working on his cubes and kinetic paper sculpture.
Photo credits: LOW ZI HAO
22-year-old kinetic sculptor, Low Zi Hao, has been doing art since he was eight, making him no stranger to the creative arts.
The second-year student, majoring in Product Design and Interactive Media from Nanyang Technological University’s School of Art, Design and Media, blew up on TikTok with over 11 million views on his second kinetic origami sculpture video.
He was introduced to Origami, a traditional art form in his Form and Visualisation class. Fascinated by how he can create something three-dimensional from a 2D plane with paper, he started to experiment with kinetic origami sculptures.
“I am very passionate and am always curious. That’s why I’m constantly trying out new stuff,” Zi Hao said.
Low Zi Hao with his 3D printing and laser cutting works.
Photo credit: LOW ZI HAO
However, the road to getting recognised was not easy. Zi Hao faced backlash on his works, such as criticisms on how he is not doing things the right way and being accused of copying other artists’ works.
“It’s just quite crazy in the beginning and it was a little bit tough for me to handle as there were hate comments, but in general I’m just very happy and surprised.”
Despite all the hate and struggles to constantly generate content, the affirmation from his followers and the mutual inspiration from his online community has motivated him to continue producing and posting his art pieces.
But what makes his art stand out from the rest?
Zi Hao believes that there should be a balance between the artist and the work when it comes to art. With the breathtaking animations and transitions of him interacting with his works in his craft videos, he is able to connect with his audience as an artist.
A constant hustler, he spends an average of twelve hours on each piece of work and had set aside approximately 660 hours just for his personal work in 2020.
The secret to his discipline is good time management, where he dedicates half of his time to school work, 40 per cent to his personal works and remaining 10 per cent to his student council duties.
Infographic by: THAM YA
Photo credits: LOW ZI HAO
All this hard work paid off as he managed to snag collaborations with major clients such as Lazada, Secretlab and Prism+ as seen from his Instagram.
After all, Zi Hao lives by this quote: Do it today, thank yourself tomorrow.
“He has this quote that he always posts on Instagram that goes ‘Do it today, thank yourself tomorrow.’ He irritated all of us with that quote but it always works for him. If we don’t get our work done, he will be like, ‘Oh I did it yesterday because I saw the quote on my table,’” said Purnima Natraj, 22, Zi Hao’s classmate and good friend of two years.
Low Zi Hao showcasing his collaboration with Prism+ for a giveaway.
Photo credits: LOW ZI HAO
Not only does he work hard for his passion, he is an all-rounder in school as well. As the Creative Head in his faculty’s Student Council, Zi Hao is in charge of the creative direction for all events.
Caitlin Annabelle, 19, who is in the same subcommittee as Zi Hao, said there was one time where he came down to help the team after his evening class ended.
“He works really hard and everything. I feel like it’s a bit, well I can’t really use any other words aside from ‘crazy’. He is very disciplined and he works every single day,” Caitlin said.
While Purnima is proud of Zi Hao’s achievements, she is concerned about his health. “I just know that he has to relax a bit more, but I don’t know whether he knows how to do that… He makes full use of his 24 hours, I have really never seen a person who works like him before,” Purnima said.
Indeed, one of Zi Hao’s goals for 2021 is to learn how to take more breaks. “Now that I’ve set a foundation for my online social media stuff, I can actually go easier on myself and learn to take more breaks while spending more time with people as well,” said the avid long-distance trekker.
“I enjoy staying fit and enjoy those super long walks, like maybe up to 70km for example,” Zi Hao said. “Because during that process of let’s say folding for 20 hours or walking for 20 hours, you actually think and reflect a lot about yourself and you spend time talking to yourself internally.”
Not only is he able to make paper come alive, he has also been venturing into different forms of art, one of which is 3D printing.
While he is well-known for his kinetic sculptures, he is currently focusing more on 3D printing as he knows that this is where the industry is headed towards and he wishes to get a headstart.
Ultimately, Zi Hao aims to accomplish greater things in the long run.
“There is a lack of appreciation for the arts in Singapore’s influencer and creator market. That is why I’m heading towards that direction,” he said.