Domesticated Animals Climbing a Tree

This work uses the literary device called "metaphor," a literal interpretation of the name of the popular Chinese dish "ants climbing a tree" (螞蟻上樹) and an American snack "ants on a log", reflecting the artist's Chinese and American ties. The artwork was initially inspired by Hungary's early agricultural history, based on the artist's previous visit to to the Agriculture Museum in Budapest.

This work looks at cookbook recipes from a different perspective; for they are not only a way to preserve cultural identity through food history, but also a celebration of the monumental event of raising livestock as a food source. Because of this method of raising certain animals, humanity was assured ready access to this food, and was able to advance even further than the hunter-gatherer clans that preceded today's modern agricultural society. Documentation of a people's food tells just as much about their culture as other types of literature.

Gallery visitors are invited to take an artist signed plastic chicken and a copy of the recipe home with them as souvenirs.

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Domesticated Animals Climbing a Tree

Hungarian Multicultural Center, Budapest, Hungary