Chunbo Zhang
寿SHOU-Long Life? (2019)
hamburger packages
40 x 30 in.
$800
My current works explore the difference and connection between Chinese and American cultures using food as a venue. In my paintings, I use realistic style and surrealistic approach juxtaposing Chinese antique porcelain wares with American food to reveal a cultural contrast between past and present, tradition and pop in a delightful way. My 3-D works reflect how American fast and processed food is consumed by Chinese immigrants and how this consumption process influences their cultural identity. I use ready-made materials such as hamburger packages, cheese, and rice to make cut-out images of word installations that play the humor and frustration.
In this work, I use hamburger packages to make the large cut-out image of modified Chinese Character 寿 “Shou”, meaning “long life”. My intention is to bring up the question in a humorous way: does American fast food make you healthy and live longer?
© Chunbo Zhang