Swallowing Clouds, “云吞” (2017)

Roll Skins, Paper, Paints, Hook Screws, Fishing Line
2200mm x 1200mm x 2300mm

Inspired by the dumpling shop owners in Shanghai who sit in front of their shops folding wontons throughout the day, this installation explores the art of repetition in creation. Just like how wontons are made in the shops, the wontons in this art installation were stuffed, folded, pinched, and doused in paint. Time and time again, hundreds of times over.

云吞 when loosely translated into English is “swallowing clouds”, and wontons in a bowl of broth look like clouds floating waiting to be slurped and swallowed by us. This installation intends instead to let the wontons give the impression of swallowing us up.

As one moves around the “cloud”, the image of it changes – representing the different meanings and stories that wontons hold for each of us at different times.