‘DOMESTIC DRAMA’
as a part of ‘Daddy’s Dinner’Tenthaus, Oslo, Norway
by Jacky Jaan-Yuan Kuo, Jinbin Chen, and Bobby Yu Shuk Pui
30th May 2024—23rd Jun 2024
‘Domestic Drama’
Vinyl flooring, wood, fabric, epoxy resin, 3D printed objects; dimension variable
Installation view of ‘Domestic Drama’
Installation view of ‘Domestic Drama’
Close-up of ‘Domestic Drama’
Installation view of ‘Domestic Drama’. Video work ‘Daddy’s Dinner’ by Bobby Yu Shuk Pui, 7’00”
Installation view of ‘Domestic Drama’. Video work ‘Daddy’s Dinner’ by Bobby Yu Shuk Pui, 7’00”
Installation view of ‘Domestic Drama’
Installation view of ‘Domestic Drama’
Installation view of ‘Domestic Drama’
(Photo documentation by Kunstdok/Tor Simen Ulstein; Exhibition text by Pedro Gómez-Egaña can be found here)
My works encompass a large-scale spatial installation and a functional sculpture designed to transform the gallery into an intermediary space reminiscent of a ‘domestic drama’. This transformation aims to probe how domestic spaces, familial rituals, and dining practices inherently establish power dynamics and modes of observation among family members. Utilizing disposable takeout chopsticks and food containers, commonly found in my own family gatherings, as a central narrative element, I emphasize their role as external, foreign objects within the familial context. Through this lens, I magnify and reveal the transient, contradictory, and seemingly inseparable moments of family reunions, offering a nuanced exploration of these intimate yet complex interactions.
Prodution and techinal support:
Iben Erik Bødtker-Næss.
Support:
Oslo Kommune, Norske Billedkunstnere, Kulturdirektoratet, and the National Culture and Arts Foundation (Taiwan)
(Exhibition text by Tenthaus)
In the past three years, Tenthaus have marked the Pride Month of June through works of Nayara Leite, Maya Økland and Ventura Profana. This year, we present ‘Daddy’s Dinner’, by Jinbin Chen, Jacky Jaan-Yuan Kuo, and Bobby Yu Shuk Pui. Through their collaborative perspectives, we bring the discourse of migration, displacement, queerness and belonging onto the family dinner table.
The project consists of two exhibitions produced by Tenthaus – one at Tenthaus (Oslo) and another mirrored at 413BETA (Seoul) as part of [The OVEN: URGENCY] project. The exhibitions present a collection of new artworks, incorporating films, sculptures, paintings, installations, and objects arranged within family-oriented spatial settings.
The three artists migrated to Norway from Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan. They explore how gendered and hierarchical family roles in East Asian patriarchal cultures impact identity and family values. Despite geopolitical differences, their shared experiences of patriarchal dynamics, which they call ‘dinner-table politics,’ reveal complex family power struggles.
‘Dinner-table politics’ metaphorically represents the power dynamics and relationships in intimate settings, where food-sharing depicts love and care. Conversations and tensions at the dinner table often prioritize man-speaking, exposing underlying anxieties and power imbalances shaped by societal norms, cultural traditions, and individual personalities
Bobby Yu Shuk Pui’s new short film shares their three family stories and experience through recipes; Jinbin Chen’s paintings and painterly objects reflect the gap between the public facade of family life and its true essence; and Jacky Jaan-Yuan Kuo’s large-scale installation transforms the gallery into a ‘domestic drama,’ exploring how domestic spaces, rituals, and dining practices establish familial power dynamics and observation.
‘Daddy’s Dinner’ is a poetic exploration of the ties that bind us.
The exhibition features an artist talk on 1 June at 14:00 at Tenthaus, moderated by Norwegian Craft project and communication manager Marthe Yung Mee Hansen.
The exhibition is curated and produced by Tenthaus, supported by Oslo Kommune, Norske Billedkunstnere, Kulturdirektoratet, and the National Culture and Arts Foundation (Taiwan).
(ENG︎︎︎中文) (︎︎︎Back to Overview)
Installation view of ‘Domestic Drama’. Video work ‘Daddy’s Dinner’ by Bobby Yu Shuk Pui, 7’00”
Installation view of ‘Domestic Drama’. Video work ‘Daddy’s Dinner’ by Bobby Yu Shuk Pui, 7’00”
Installation view of ‘Daddy’s Dinner’. Video work by Bobby Yu Shuk Pui; ‘Making Space’ (left) by Jinbin Chen, Oil and acrylic on woo; 28 x 31 x 47 cm
Installation view of ‘Daddy’s Dinner’, ‘Dexiosis’ (left) and ‘The More Silent, the More Out of Control’ (right) by Jinbin Chen
Installation view of ‘Daddy’s Dinner’, ‘Tapestry of Tales’ by Bobby Yu Shuk Pui; photography jigsaw puzzles; 90 x 60cm
Close-up of ‘Daddy’s Dinner’, ‘Tapestry of Tales’ by Bobby Yu Shuk Pui; photography jigsaw puzzles; 90 x 60cm