mEAT

01/2021

24 in* 10 in*8 in

Foam Core

About my first work on food. This work is a meat-like sculpture composed of 80 foam boards derived from an ancient Chinese saying. In China, there is a well-known allusion called junzi yuan pao chu, which is a philosopher's word to the emperor. It means that a person with good education and status should stay away from the kitchen because it can prevent them from seeing the bloody scene of killing animals, so as to maintain their empathy and compassion. Because of this allusion, my mother did not let me into the kitchen when I was young. She did not want me to touch the sticky raw meat or viscera. What she did was serve the delicious steak on the table for everyone to enjoy. But when I grow up and study abroad alone, I find that I like the process of cooking, because it makes me feel the warmth of my long-lost home. When I cook, I inevitably need to touch raw meat. When I bring the prepared food to the table and taste it with my friends, I cannot help but recall that allusion. It is precise because of people's resistance and desire to the meat that someone has to stand up as a chef and touch this uncomfortable raw meat. This cook sacrificed themself to clean up the meat to keep everyone clean. It is the experience of cooking that makes me have high respect for the person who sacrificed.

This work is born under this kind of feeling. It is inspired by Santiago Calatrava[i]’s station. The overall streamline makes the audience feel good, but the sharp edge gives people a sense of discomfort and makes people want to stay away. This style of combining hardness and softness well reflects people's contradictory psychology towards meat. I want the audience to pay attention to the little things in life, not only cooking but also feeling grateful for some tiny things in our daily life. The world is not born to be so beautiful. The reason why we feel the peace of time is that someone is carrying the burden for us.

1. “Projects.” / Reggio Emilia (Overview) - Santiago Calatrava – Architects & Engineers, https://calatrava.com/projects/reggio-emilia-stazione-mediopadana-reggio-emilia.html.