NAC installation explores cultural identity
Kristen De Palma
Issue date: 11/15/05 Section: Arts & Entertainment
In using herself as the subject, Low wanted to focus completely on the issue of cultural identity. Through the use of objects commonly tied to Chinese background, the display challenges the idea of what identifies any specific culture.
"I really wanted to focus on the question of cultural identity and the most logical subject to use was myself," she said. "I wanted to obscure my own identity with objects that were strongly associated as culture signifiers (chopsticks, Chinese soup spoons, take-out menus, etc.) to question what makes up a cultural identity."
Low finds Chinese food culture particularly intriguing because of its tendency to adapt and reflect the times.
"For instance, the '50s style Chinese restaurant with the kitschy neon signs, they are slowly disappearing in the larger cities and making way for more sophisticated palates that include dishes like sushi, pad thai and general Tao all under the same 'Asian' melting pot," said Low. "So in a sense, the more accepted different cultures are, the more homogenous they become."
Low has a separate exhibit of her work on display in the Art Gallery of Hamilton as part of a theme show on food, titled Feast: Food in Art, which includes a piece that has been named after her parents' restaurant.
With Self-serve, Low hopes to provoke thoughts about today's cultural society, while providing a forum for audiences to enjoy themselves and find common ground.
"I am hoping that [viewers] find the humour in it and something they can identify with," she said. "I think certain art can challenge [stereotypes] and sometimes help us see ourselves."
Shelly Low's Self-serve exhibition is on display at the Niagara Artists' Company until Dec. 17.
"I really wanted to focus on the question of cultural identity and the most logical subject to use was myself," she said. "I wanted to obscure my own identity with objects that were strongly associated as culture signifiers (chopsticks, Chinese soup spoons, take-out menus, etc.) to question what makes up a cultural identity."
Low finds Chinese food culture particularly intriguing because of its tendency to adapt and reflect the times.
"For instance, the '50s style Chinese restaurant with the kitschy neon signs, they are slowly disappearing in the larger cities and making way for more sophisticated palates that include dishes like sushi, pad thai and general Tao all under the same 'Asian' melting pot," said Low. "So in a sense, the more accepted different cultures are, the more homogenous they become."
Low has a separate exhibit of her work on display in the Art Gallery of Hamilton as part of a theme show on food, titled Feast: Food in Art, which includes a piece that has been named after her parents' restaurant.
With Self-serve, Low hopes to provoke thoughts about today's cultural society, while providing a forum for audiences to enjoy themselves and find common ground.
"I am hoping that [viewers] find the humour in it and something they can identify with," she said. "I think certain art can challenge [stereotypes] and sometimes help us see ourselves."
Shelly Low's Self-serve exhibition is on display at the Niagara Artists' Company until Dec. 17.
