Image size: 50.0 x 50.0 cm,
Image size: 55.1 x 55.1 cm
"A Dissection Of...... #2" is a visual study by Lavender Chang (b. 1983) of the representation of Singapore identity through its vibrant hawker food and culture — a vital aspect of the nation's multiculturalism which was inscribed into the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020. The photographic series unpacks how national and cultural identity can be defined by culinary and consumption practices, which are important carriers of traditions, values and memories.Viewed in its deconstructed form, each dish is a powerful reinforcement of the edible intersections in our culinary culture, attesting to the histories of preservation, borrowing and innovation in food preparation between the various ethnic communities that culminate in distinctively Singaporean flavours such as those in laksa, chicken rice and mee goreng. Each image is accompanied with a handwritten reflection from an individual interviewed by the artist explaining why the dish was significant to them. Born in Pingtung county, Taiwan, Chang arrived in Singapore in 1998 to pursue her studies, and eventually developed such a profound bond with her host city that she decided to take up citizenship in 2019. This series is a manifestation of her investigation into the centrality of food in the Singapore psyche, and how Singaporeans connect with their favourite hawker dish as comfort food. Depicted here is Mala Xiang Guo, a spicy, numbing, fragrant dry pot dish that is highly popular in China and has taken Singapore by storm in recent years.
