Please join us in welcoming Karen Kar Yen Law to the RBC Emerging Artist Residency Program! To learn more about Karen’s artistic practice and her plans for the artist studio, visit her profile and read her blog post below!
My current food fixation is crispy salted egg yolk battered bitter melon. The rich umami quality of the salted egg yolks perfectly balances the fresh and earthy taste of the bitter melon. Only in recent years have I begun to appreciate the taste of bitter melon despite it being a common vegetable prepared by my grandmother for dinner.
In my work, I am interested in cultural practice and diasporic identity. I have found Chinese food and Chinese cooking an authentic place for me to approach these interests. In Chinese cooking philosophy, harmony in taste is achieved through five flavours: salty, sweet, spicy, sour, and bitter. Chinese medicine also requires balance in the five flavours because they each correspond to an area of our bodily health. During my residency, I will be engaging with the flavour of bitterness.
Bitterness shows up in many places in our lives, but how do we choose to confront the bitterness? Do we let it consume us or do we consume the bitterness? In Chinese culture, there is an expectation to “swallow your bitterness,” to conceal and contain pain, sadness, and suffering. I’ve seen how this expectation can be harmful, but I have also seen how it can be about survival.
So, will I be spending my time at RMG just eating piles of bitter melon? No, I will not (but I think that would make for an interesting project too.) Instead, I will be experimenting with a combination of printmaking and painting to produce a body of mid-sized paintings. My approach to painting is heavily informed by the same process of layering printmakers utilize. For these paintings, I would like to lean into the visibility of layers and use printmaking techniques like screen printing.
I am excited to spend time in Oshawa at the RMG. The best way to get to know a place is through its food and its people. Where are your favorite places to eat in the city? What are your beloved family recipes? What are your current food fixations? If you have recommendations, let me know!
Tune in to our Instagram account on Friday, November 22nd for her “Welcome to the Studio” Artist Talk and on Friday, January 24th for a Residency Check-in. Both virtual studio visits will be at 12:00pm EST @rmgoshawa.
