- Pizza Hurt
- McAmen
- War and Peace
- Big Brother
- Poetry
- Thousand Plateaus
- Graffiti in the Ruins
- The Dragon Found
- Mortal World
Information
"Food" has been a particularly significant theme for me over the past three years, continuing with the "McAmen" project; and in the Chinese mindset, "food is paramount," implying that food encompasses a wide array of meanings. After graduating, I had an unpleasant work experience in London related to "food," where I was involved in marketing for several Asian restaurants. This role provided me an opportunity to engage with London’s diverse culinary culture. However, I could not tolerate workplace bullying from bosses of the same ethnicity and the implicit workload that went beyond my job description, leading to my dismissal, which cast a dark shadow over that period.
Meanwhile, in the broader context of a socio-economic downturn in mainland China after the pandemic, many young people face severe challenges such as reduced job opportunities, difficult job searches, heavy workloads, class solidification, and excessive exploitation. The issues of "empty promise," "rat race" and "wolf-culture" have long plagued society.
From March to April 2024, I attended an art residency in Jingdezhen, China. Jingdezhen, known for its porcelain, became a popular emerging city on social media in the last two years, partly because it has attracted many youths who resist "rat race" by adopting as "fun-employee". After living there for a while, I deeply felt that Jingdezhen only "appeared beautiful." The rush for excessive commercialization has stripped it of its innocence, leaving me disappointed, indignant, and mostly sighing in frustration, as this is my hometown.
During my residency, I created four pizza sculptures, molding clay into the form of food. Historically, "Guanyin clay" (kaolin used in ceramics) was even consumed during famines. The choice of salami pizza was meant to satirize the "empty promise" phenomenon in workplaces, and the fragmented hearts behind the pizza symbolize the shattered ideals and innocence of a young person facing such unfair and difficult circumstances, truly wounded. Additionally, the unconventional way of cutting the pizza critiques the pursuit of a singular societal value (money above all), the decline of innovation, and the unfair distribution of resources.
2*12-inch ceramic Salami Pizza
2*12-inch ceramic Salami Pizza
15-inch ceramic Salami Pizza
“Governing a big country is like baking pizza.”
10-inch ceramic Salami Pizza
“Thanks for your empty promises.”