MaFan Cafe/茶煲咖啡. . . . .finally got around to documenting these properly, thank you so much again to @studio_evan_lee for being such an amazing mentor and @crystalho.art for being an equally awesome fellow mentee. And of course very grateful for the opportunity afforded by the Richmond Public Art Program. And shoutout to the @richmondartgallery for poviding the space for the artist talk. It has been such a cool and unique experience from start to finish and it still feels so surreal seeing it in real life. .MaFan Cafe/茶煲咖啡 is a text based piece that alludes to the menus seen in most Hong Kong Cafes. It seeks to explore the identity of the second generation immigrant through the combination of food and language. Food is often understood as a gateway to breaking down of cultural barriers through cuisine; a fundamental understanding of one another without nuances or minutias. Conversely, language can be both precise and vague; something poorly translated can lead to hilarity and or misunderstandings. Transliteration on the other hand is direct and eliminates these potential confusions as it deals purely with the phonetics of the words. Meaning is no longer lost in translation as it is not at all translated, yet it is inherently meaningless without its original counterpart. It is this internal and structural conflict between translation and transliteration that I want to use to examine the fragmentation of identity experienced by second generation immigrants and the (in)ability to consolidate the two worlds they inhabit. The only way to truly understand this menu is to understand both languages. Through this project, I intend to bring attention to the importance of cultural cohabitation and the growing chasm between the English-speaking and the Chinese-speaking communities within Richmond. You can check out more about this piece at my portfolio @ https://chadwong.myportfolio.com In the meantime be sure to visit the piece at the @aberdeen_centre canadaline station. . . . . . #vanart#vancouverartist#richmondartists#artistsofinstgram#photography#publicart#richmond#art#artists#artmentorship#artmedia#conceptualartist
