Dumplings On The Menu At Pitzhanger Gallery

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Chinese takeaway art exhibition part of a tasty October line up

Dumplings and other stories by Anthony Key - 28 September – 3 November

Acclaimed British-Chinese artist Anthony Key unveils a new solo exhibition at PM Gallery. Dumplings and Other Stories uses food and, in particular, the Chinese takeaway to explore cultural identity and the experiences of the British-Chinese.

Dumplings and Other Stories will include a new full-scale model of a Chinese takeaway restaurant made from iconic Chinese takeaway cartons. Developing his previous work, BokGwai/White Ghost, recently exhibited in ‘Arrivals and Departures’ at Urbis, Manchester, Key’s new work will be constructed from two thousand takeaway cartons, flattened and then stapled together to form a skin.

Accompanying this installation will be Battle of Britain – a monumental 5mx3m map of Britain based on World War II Ops Room maps. The map is peppered with Chinese red flags, representing and carrying the names of every Chinese restaurant in Britain and placed in all the cities, towns and villages where the restaurants are based.

The installation is intended to be an accurate document of Chinese immigration settlements. Alongside the two sculptural pieces will be film of Anthony Key’s father preparing noodles to his own special recipe. PM Gallery will also run talks and workshops using food as an alternative introduction to art.

Key’s work grew from his need to discover his own visual art language while searching for his cultural identity. By interrogating cultural food through his art practice, Key began to unravel stories associated with the history of the Chinese in the West. For the Chinese immigrant the takeaway has been a sociologically important site: point of entry as well as point of departure for immigrants over the last century. This story of a journey through food underlies Key’s attempt to define what it means to be Chinese and British in 21st Century Britain.

Events at PM Gallery & House:

Gallery Tour of Dumplings and Other Stories
Saturday 13 October
2pm
Free
The artist Anthony Key will give an informal tour of his exhibition and will discuss his work and motivations.

Never Mind… eat something
Anthony and Sonia Boyce
Wednesday 17 October
7.30pm
Tickets: £2 Call 020 8567 1227 to book
Anthony Key and artist Sonia Boyce will spend the evening cooking and talking about the exhibition and Anthony’s body of work. Anthony and Sonia will explore the common attributes of food and art as instruments of ‘repair’ or of ‘making better’. Come and join in the conversation and sample the results afterwards!

Drawing Workshops
PM Gallery & House are delighted to be working in partnership with Ealing Adult Learning to host a new programme of workshops in the Studio.

Contemporary Drawing (8 weeks)
10am - 12 noon
Meeting weekly from
Tuesday 30 October

Life Drawing (8 weeks)
10am - 12 noon
Meeting weekly from
Wednesday 31 October

Course fees are £48, conc £24

For further information on the class content, call PM Gallery & House on 020 8567 1227. To enrol on these courses contact Adult Learning on 020 8825 5577. Students may register from mid-September onwards.

 

October 5, 2007