Zoe Leung
Cheltenham Girls High School
32 DAYS IN PANDEMIC
Documented Forms
Watercolour on paper
During the pandemic lockdown, we are all locked in our house for several months. We can't go out for lunch, we can't see our friends, we can't enjoy the crowd outside. Finally the lockdown is finished and we are able to go out again. So I go to different restaurants that I have never gone to before, and record the delicious moments. My body of work represents what I missed during the lockdown.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Louis Sketcher, Yomou Chan, MaoMomiji.
Marker's Commentary
32 Days in Pandemic is a delightful documentation of how the artist has savoured the release of lockdown to socialise with family and friends in the act of eating out. People, food and places are represented in this series of social events which are all listed and recorded according to the place they took place. Reminiscent of the 'selfie' in the small portrait nature of the watercolours, they are consistently composed with the people at the event surrounding the food on the table that is being consumed. Perspective is distorted to allow the full gamut of information at the event to be seen while also maintaining the informal and joyful nature of the events to shine through and the consistent colour palette and technical skill across all works give it a strong cohesiveness. The artist has also captured the diasporic nature of Sydney with each location being iconic for Asian food and culture. The work documents the personal engagement with the diverse nature of relationships with cuisine, while communicating a shared understanding of the joy of shared meals within these locations post lockdown. This is a clever and engaging body of work referencing the significance and simplicity of the everyday.