sheena liam, model and embroiderer, sculpts her hair with loose thread

sheena liam lets loose thread fall freely from the front of her hoop. the hoop is to an embroiderer what a canvas is to a painter, and a stage is to a model. normally thread gets pushed through, knotted and cut off to create a clean two dimensional portrait, but leaving thread out and about is a growing theme and a beautiful one at that, amid the contemporary embroidery scene that sheena liam is at the forefront of. she’s most known for her vulnerable self-portraits, signature dark green thread — oh, and season 2 of asia’s next top model, which she won.

all images courtesy of sheena liam

a solo exhibition at item gallery in paris recently housed model and artist sheena liam’s internet-viral pieces aside new works in a show she’s titled ‘times new romance.’ each tiny, dark green scene is inspired from a photo of herself, but perhaps these self-portraits capture her even more than her photographs. the juxtaposition of loose and secure threads, the attitude of three dimensional boxer braids, the way she spins unfinished green rhymes into strands and locks of flowing hair — her artistic success rivals her modeling career, though maybe in a way they are one in the same.