The Ho-Lee Family
 
Artist Ho Tam made The Ho-Lee Family in 2022. It is an inkjet print on paper, measuring 48 centimetres 
wide by 33 centimeters high. In Tam’s story accompanying this artwork, the mother and father are from 
different worlds. But they overcame their differences to build a house of unconditional love, for both animals 
and children.

The Ho-Lee Family is a horizontal print composed of two children and their mother with a father nearby, 
all surrounded by a scattering of many animals. A woman and two children reading a book dominate the left side, 
facing towards the right. The woman is Black, wearing a head scarf and glasses. She appears to be teaching her two 
boys how to read. She is behind the children who are sitting at a table. Only her upper body is visible. Her left arm 
is around one of the boys in order to hold a book of basic ABCs in front of them. Her right arm passes between them, 
her hand holding a pencil pointing to a page. The boys look like they are reading out loud. There is care and intimacy 
expressed by her look of concentration and her encompassing arms. 

The father dominates the right side of the print and faces left. He is an Asian man in a jacket. A camera hangs from his 
neck, and he holds a folded map pinned against his left side with his elbow. He holds his right hand slightly raised as if 
making a point. He looks downwards with a slightly thoughtful expression. A broad variety of animals from all over the 
world is arranged behind the family, reaching nearly to the top of the image. The animals include an elephant, a camel, 
several antelope, a sea turtle, a bear and assorted smaller creatures. An owl appears to be on the mother’s right shoulder
while a hawk perches on the father’s left. A snake is rising from behind his head. The space between the father and his 
family is filled by a tiger facing the viewer. Its mouth is open, showing its lower teeth.

Bank note images are most powerful when they reflect the values of the people they are meant to represent—
a nation’s citizens. The images Tam used in his print represent the values of the fictional Ho-Lee family. 
What images are on your bank notes? Do they represent your values?