Kindergarten Lunch
Diem Q.
-
Leftovers are one of the most popular work meals because of their lack of pre-preparation. It also allows us to relieve the wonderful conversations shared between our friends and family when the leftovers were still considered "dinner". However, leftovers can also serve as an extension of who we are; thus making it an easy target for strangers to weaponize. As a first-generation immigrant, I experienced this firsthand when I had naively brought the leftover Banh Canh (a tapioca noodle dish) to lunch in the second grade. When I went to open the lid of the Tupperware, delicious steams of fish sauce filled my lungs with feelings of warmth and safety. But in the corner of my sight, it appeared that many of my classmates had their noises cartoonishly pinched, and whispers erupted, questioning why I had brought worms to eat. For this piece, I wanted to depict the shame and vulnerability that comes with expressing the fullness of oneself to the world. I used an ant-eye perspective with a spotlight shining down on the little girl to portray the visceral feeling of this memory in a visual form. I also installed a 3D element that consists of cutting out red magazine papers into wavy abstract shapes to resemble a cross of intestines and worms to further intensify and highlight the revolutions in my peers' statements. I then placed them into a plastic lid that mimics the appearance of a much scaled-down food container. Afterward, I glued these pieces onto the little girl's painted hands to make it look like the two-dimensional painting was holding a three-dimensional object.
-
Being able to express myself creatively through mediums of illustration and painting allows me to share my identity truthfully with the world. It also offers me a space to find great comfort and safety within.
