This is an archive copy of a tinyletter from 2022, for the complete newsletter with images and links, please view the original archive.

September brings with me an announcement: my first gallery solo exhibition

Charlotte Mui | Have A Rice Day
Exhibition: 10 September 2022 – 15 October 2022
Opening Reception: 10 September 2022
Alisan Fine Arts – Aberdeen
2305 Hing Wai Centre, 7 Tin Wan Praya Road
Aberdeen, Hong Kong
 

I also wanted to share with you my artist statement for the show, before it opens. I wrote it as a letter to those who visit the exhibition because it’s a rather personal series of paintings (even if they don't look it) which honours my family.
 

Hello,
 
Thank you for being here, and for coming to see the show.
 
While the world was in lockdown, many of us turned to food and cooking for comfort — myself included. The sharing of food has always been a method for connecting with people, whether in person, or at a distance, and it stays true, no matter how big of a cliché it is. The power in cooking is that no matter who taught you a dish, made you something to eat, or simply emailed you a recipe, it is a reminder that at some point in time, someone somewhere cared about you.
 
‘Have a Rice Day’ is a surrealistic recollection and recording of my family’s recipes, featuring only the ingredients used to create them. It is an archive of our favourites and our go-tos; the stews by my aunt — who makes use of whatever she could find in the fridge; the rich baked goods my mum cooks up to comfort us on bad days; and the ridiculously fussy dishes that my grandma still loved to tell stories of. In other words, this series is a love letter to them, and a documentation of the dishes, before we forget how to make them.
 
This series was first conceived as a cookbook, as I witness the disappearance of traditional dishes alongside the rapidly changing cityscape. Food, to me, became an edible timestamp of our history, our culture, and through the passing down of recipes, our heritage.
 
Most of these dishes you see in this exhibition are not particularly remarkable, and you can find them on the dinner tables of any typical Hong Kong family. Yet, with just the addition of ginger, an extra tablespoon of sugar, or even the fact that a plate of pasta and soup is made specifically for Halloween each year (an actual family tradition) — these are the little things that change the taste and meaning of a dish entirely. The dish then becomes an intimate consumable that reflects the habit, experiences, preferences, and traditions of a person, a family, a community, and even a culture.
 
I wonder if a variation of these dishes show up on your dinner table?
 
I hope you’re doing well, both mentally and physically, as we recover slowly, and as we learn to breathe and share again.
 
Again, thank you for being here.
 
Your friend,
Charlotte
 

Other things I’ve been up to this month:
 

To be honest though, I'm exhausted and sad despite everything I’ve achieved. And because this is a public newsletter, I’m just going to leave it at that.

It also doesn’t help that one of my closest friends is leaving Hong Kong soon and I don’t know when I’ll see her again, especially since she’s been such a constant in my life for the past four years.  

It also definitely doesn’t help that it’s my partner’s birthday yesterday and I miss him.

I’ve also deprived myself of snacking because I am trying to be healthy and lose weight.

So now my only comfort is walking around the office in slippers rather than sensible shoes, and the hugs I get from friends and family.

My tarot cards say that September is a month of harvest and rebirth for me – and I sure hope I get to enjoy the rewards.
 

Other places you can find updates:

The Gwai Lenormand – Kickstarter
Art project updates –  Main Instagram
Monthly Tarot Readings – Tarot Instagram (September is running late, but will be up by this weekend)
 

 
Hope you’re doing okay.
Love,
Charlotte