Join us for a potluck party at the gallery drawing on artist Jayanto Tan‘s ceramic ‘soul foods’ in the churchie emerging art prize finalists’ exhibition.
From locked down Sydney where the artist is based, Tan has curated a Pai Ti Kong feast of Nyonya food, inviting the IMA community to come together in the spirit of sharing and gathering.
Tan says: “Silence is a place of great power and healing. I hope to create a ritual gathering feast as a family album. My family is scattered from Indonesia to Taiwan to China to Europe to here in Australia. And through the culture of sweet delicacies, I hope to celebrate and respect the ancestors of my family in a sharing way with the local community.“
Tan’s artwork in ‘the churchie’ was inspired by the myth and tradition of Pai Ti Kong (translated as ‘Praying [to] The Heaven God’) of his mother’s Hokkien ancestry. In this story Hokkien people escaped a violent invasion of their village by hiding in a sugarcane field and praying for their safety. When they survived the attack they emerged and honoured the Heaven God for keeping them safe through presenting offerings.
Jayanto Tan was born and raised in a small town in North Sumatra, Indonesia. As a Chinese-Sumatran living in Sydney, his practice blends Eastern and Western mythologies with the reality of current events. His work has been shown at Verge Gallery, Firstdraft, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asia Art, the Australia-China Institute, the 66th Blake Prize, Incinerator Art Award, and the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award. He won the 11th Small Sculpture Greenway Art Prize. Tan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts from National Art School, Sydney.
Accessibility information:
We are committed to making the IMA accessible to people of all abilities, their families, and carers as well as visitors of different ages and different backgrounds. There is wheelchair access and an accessible toilet with baby changing facilities also located on the ground floor and we welcome guide and support dogs. To find out more contact us at ima@ima.org.au or call 07 3252 5750. Read our access information for visitors here.
COVID safety advice:
—please wear a mask and check-in on arrival as per government advice
—stay at home if unwell or have a cough, fever, sore throat, fatigue or shortness of breath
—if you become unwell during the event locate an IMA staff member
—maintaining physical distancing is the individual’s responsibility
Please do not attend if, in the last 14 days you have:
—returned to Australia from overseas (other than a safe travel zone country)
—been in close contact with an active COVID-19 case
—been in a Queensland declared COVID-19 hotspot, place of concern or exposure venue, as defined by the Chief Health Officer
—had a fever, cough, sore throat, headache, distorted sense of taste, shortness of breath, chills, vomiting or any cold/flu like symptoms in the last 72 hours
