“ORIENTAL TRADING CATALOG" CERAMIC SET 2019
Project collaboration with Lien Sardiñas, submitted to fullfill a course requirement at the Columbia University School of Social Work.
The intention of this piece is to expand beyond how food “brings us together.” When this statement is usually made, it is in celebration of heritage and tradition, however this set is meant to serve (literally) as a talking point on the more unpopular topics relevant to cultural consumption; uncomfortable conversations about race, culture, and misunderstandings should and need to happen over meals shared together.
Stemming from a conversation about the term “oriental” and its reductive connotations, this set reflects how the word generalizes an entire continent’s worth of people as a singular identity. The ceramic pieces use techniques and motifs from multiple Asian cultures, but will these details be noticed and identified, or will it just be an “Asian plate?”
Lucky cats are Japenese figures that beckon customers into establishments and bring wealth and fortune, depending on which paw is raised. In the United States, this image is attributed to Chinese shops and restaurants, even though they are not popular or used in mainland China. To further this misunderstanding and blurring of cultures, my versions of the cat holds a coin that says 老外 and 外国人 which are two different ways of saying “foreigner” in Mandarin. 千万両 is the usual transcription which denotes 10 million taels.
Lien used transfer paper to trace and copy my images onto her handmade plates and bowls.