Martell has unveiled a new limited-edition Cordon Bleu in collaboration with Malaysian artist Chin Kong Yee, bringing an artistic interpretation of Kuala Lumpur to the cognac house’s latest collector’s release.

Limited to 450 units, the Martell Cordon Bleu × Kong Yee Limited Edition features Time Marks, an adaptation of the artist’s original work, which reimagines the Malaysian capital through his distinctive surrealist perspective.

The collaboration is the third consecutive Martell Cordon Bleu limited edition to spotlight Malaysian artists, following earlier releases with textile artist Marcos Kueh and contemporary painter Ivan Lam. It forms part of The Surrealist World of Martell, a series exploring the relationship between artistic expression and the cognac house’s heritage.

KL through a different lens

At the centre of the collaboration is Chin Kong Yee’s Actuality Accorded Painting (AAP) methodology, developed over more than three decades. His approach combines a fisheye-lens perspective with panoramic compositions, creating scenes in which familiar surroundings appear distorted and interconnected.

For Time Marks, the artist turns his attention to a Kuala Lumpur intersection. Streets and buildings appear to fold into one another, while the city’s skyline is reflected in an unconventional composition that plays with the relationship between the built environment and the sky. A flowing Martell ribbon is incorporated into the artwork, linking the city’s visual identity with the cognac house.

Born and raised in Kampung Baru Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, where he continues to live and work, Chin draws on real places and observations in his paintings. Despite their surreal appearance, his compositions are rooted in things that exist, with the artist describing his work as an engagement with reality rather than an escape from it.

The artwork extends around the bottle, with both sides revealing different parts of the composition and the central label serving as its visual anchor. The accompanying gift box adds another element through a transparent panel featuring Time Marks, which illuminates at the press of a button, bringing out the artwork’s blue, orange and yellow tones.

An artistic collaboration

Produced in partnership with Wei-Ling Gallery, the release continues Martell’s engagement with Malaysia’s contemporary art scene. The collaboration also reflects a broader interest in presenting familiar cultural landscapes through the perspectives of local artists.

The Martell Cordon Bleu × Kong Yee Limited Edition will be available exclusively to guests attending selected invitation-only Martell dinner experiences, as part of specially curated packages, while stocks last.