"Sweet And Sour" (糖醋)
// BLURB //
Back in 2011, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington DC hosted an exhibition called Sweet & Sour, an event to celebrate Chinese American history and culture. The show saw a range of Chinese restaurant-related objects put on show such as menus, signs and cooking tools, and got people thinking about Chinese immigration during the California Gold Rush of 1949. When gold was discovered on a saw mill called Sutter’s Mill a year earlier, it prompted thousands of Chinese miners to head for the West Coast in hope of finding new riches. Naturally, Eastern cuisine followed along with the eventual birth of Chinatowns all over the US. As many Chinese settlers opened restaurants, America became inspired by new foods and flavors as the trend evolved over the next century and beyond. But how Chinese is Chinese when it is represented in Western culture today? One of the most iconic symbols of Asian eating habits is the lovable origami-inspired takeaway box, or oyster pail, as it is commonly known. But when was your last meal consumed from one of these containers? Hollywood will have you believe there’s a paper to-go box lying in the gutter of every street corner in China. Thank you, and enjoy! It’s just one of the many clichés in the arts we’ve come to take for gospel. Now, about those oh-so ‘Chinese’ fortune cookies…
Back in 2011, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington DC hosted an exhibition called Sweet & Sour, an event to celebrate Chinese American history and culture. The show saw a range of Chinese restaurant-related objects put on show such as menus, signs and cooking tools, and got people thinking about Chinese immigration during the California Gold Rush of 1949. When gold was discovered on a saw mill called Sutter’s Mill a year earlier, it prompted thousands of Chinese miners to head for the West Coast in hope of finding new riches. Naturally, Eastern cuisine followed along with the eventual birth of Chinatowns all over the US. As many Chinese settlers opened restaurants, America became inspired by new foods and flavors as the trend evolved over the next century and beyond. But how Chinese is Chinese when it is represented in Western culture today? One of the most iconic symbols of Asian eating habits is the lovable origami-inspired takeaway box, or oyster pail, as it is commonly known. But when was your last meal consumed from one of these containers? Hollywood will have you believe there’s a paper to-go box lying in the gutter of every street corner in China. Thank you, and enjoy! It’s just one of the many clichés in the arts we’ve come to take for gospel. Now, about those oh-so ‘Chinese’ fortune cookies…
STATUS
SOLD. Private collection, Forch (Switzerland).
SOLD. Private collection, Forch (Switzerland).
EDITION, MEDIA, SIZE & WEIGHT
Unique Edition, Shanghai 2020
RGB LED display, acrylic painting on Plexiglass, teak wood frame
46.5(W)×66.5(H)×5.5(D) cm // 10.6 kg
TECH SPECS
• 1×SLC SD Card
• 4×MWLPV20-5 (INPUT 100~240VAC@0.55A / OUTPUT 5V@3A)
• (3+1 spare)×RGB P4-1921-8S-V2.0 / SWP4191102KMFF-0293/3260
CRATE SIZE & WEIGHT
58(W)×78(H)×15.5(D) cm // 21.16 kg
EXPOSURE
“Perimeters, Edges, and Walls” at island6 Shanghai Main Space
CREDITS
Owen 欧文 (painting) • Emily Shao 邵琪 (performance) • Thomas Charvériat (art direction & animation) • Yeung Sin Ching 杨倩菁 (production supervisor) • Ryan Watson (blurb)
Unique Edition, Shanghai 2020
RGB LED display, acrylic painting on Plexiglass, teak wood frame
46.5(W)×66.5(H)×5.5(D) cm // 10.6 kg
TECH SPECS
• 1×SLC SD Card
• 4×MWLPV20-5 (INPUT 100~240VAC@0.55A / OUTPUT 5V@3A)
• (3+1 spare)×RGB P4-1921-8S-V2.0 / SWP4191102KMFF-0293/3260
CRATE SIZE & WEIGHT
58(W)×78(H)×15.5(D) cm // 21.16 kg
EXPOSURE
“Perimeters, Edges, and Walls” at island6 Shanghai Main Space
CREDITS
Owen 欧文 (painting) • Emily Shao 邵琪 (performance) • Thomas Charvériat (art direction & animation) • Yeung Sin Ching 杨倩菁 (production supervisor) • Ryan Watson (blurb)
CLOSE-UPS
VIDEO