Artist:
Mei-Ling Hom
Title:
China Wedge
Year:
1994
Adress:
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Website:
www.associationforpublicart.org:
China Wedge is made of over 20,000 china tea cups, rice bowls, and soup spoons.
Hidden in a box inside the wedge are sealed testimonials of Asian American immigrants’ experiences from Philadelphia’s nearby Chinatown.
The words 'China' and 'Wedge' potentially serve multiple meanings, referring to the material and shape of the work as well as Asian American experiences.
www.associationforpublicart.org:
'Wedge' may refer to the physical incision in the escalator and the 'wedge' of the restaurant trade through which most immigrants in the adjacent area entered America.
Mei-Ling Hom’s China Wedge is a triangular wedge made of over 20,000 porcelain tea cups, rice bowls, and soup spoons. The artwork includes a hidden, sealed box with unopened written testimonials from Asian American Philadelphia residents sharing their embarrassing and sometimes upsetting stories as immigrants in the United States.
Located underneath the Pennsylvs Arch Street Concourse escalator, China Wedges site was deliberately chosen to represent the limitations and restrictions faced by Asian American immigrants. The word China in its title may simultaneously refer to the country of origin of many Philadelphia Chinatown residents and the porcelain dishes that compose the artwork, while Wedge may refer to the physical incision in the escalator and the wedge of the restaurant trade through which most immigrants in the adjacent area entered America.
www.sculpturemagazine.art:
Mei-Ling Homs work is distinguished by her affinity with cultures often under-represented in contemporary art. Though she is based in Philadelphia, her world travels have led to rich social interactions that have enhanced her work. She is an astute observer who pays attention to details often overlooked by others, as well as a versatile artist. Her mostly site-specific installations range from the assertive and monumental to the seemingly weightless and ethereal. While always poetic, her works can also be political, engaging in current issues while remaining attuned to historical forms. With great sophistication, Hom addresses issues of cultural identity, gender, and globalization. Works such as Thai Space, China Wedge, Floating Mountains, Singing Clouds, and Golden Mountain transcend borders and present ideas both introspective and universal. …see the entire article in the print version of March’s Sculpture magazine.
www.artura.org:
Hom’s work explores Asian ideas from her American cultural perspective. Her cultural explorations have widened to more universal phenomena and their perceptions, such as the global interpretations of clouds and, most recently, the cultural understanding of soil microbes (thought of as underground clouds), which have wide impact on the environment and our lives.
www.associationforpublicart.org:
Mei-Ling Hom is a sculptor based in Philadelphia and Allegany County, New York, whose work is featured throughout the Unitees. She obtained her MFA from Alfred University in New York in 1987 and BA from Kirkland College in New York in 1973.
China Wedge is made of over 20,000 china tea cups, rice bowls, and soup spoons.
Hidden in a box inside the wedge are sealed testimonials of Asian American immigrants’ experiences from Philadelphia’s nearby Chinatown.
The words 'China' and 'Wedge' potentially serve multiple meanings, referring to the material and shape of the work as well as Asian American experiences.
www.associationforpublicart.org:
'Wedge' may refer to the physical incision in the escalator and the 'wedge' of the restaurant trade through which most immigrants in the adjacent area entered America.
Mei-Ling Hom’s China Wedge is a triangular wedge made of over 20,000 porcelain tea cups, rice bowls, and soup spoons. The artwork includes a hidden, sealed box with unopened written testimonials from Asian American Philadelphia residents sharing their embarrassing and sometimes upsetting stories as immigrants in the United States.
Located underneath the Pennsylvs Arch Street Concourse escalator, China Wedges site was deliberately chosen to represent the limitations and restrictions faced by Asian American immigrants. The word China in its title may simultaneously refer to the country of origin of many Philadelphia Chinatown residents and the porcelain dishes that compose the artwork, while Wedge may refer to the physical incision in the escalator and the wedge of the restaurant trade through which most immigrants in the adjacent area entered America.
www.sculpturemagazine.art:
Mei-Ling Homs work is distinguished by her affinity with cultures often under-represented in contemporary art. Though she is based in Philadelphia, her world travels have led to rich social interactions that have enhanced her work. She is an astute observer who pays attention to details often overlooked by others, as well as a versatile artist. Her mostly site-specific installations range from the assertive and monumental to the seemingly weightless and ethereal. While always poetic, her works can also be political, engaging in current issues while remaining attuned to historical forms. With great sophistication, Hom addresses issues of cultural identity, gender, and globalization. Works such as Thai Space, China Wedge, Floating Mountains, Singing Clouds, and Golden Mountain transcend borders and present ideas both introspective and universal. …see the entire article in the print version of March’s Sculpture magazine.
www.artura.org:
Hom’s work explores Asian ideas from her American cultural perspective. Her cultural explorations have widened to more universal phenomena and their perceptions, such as the global interpretations of clouds and, most recently, the cultural understanding of soil microbes (thought of as underground clouds), which have wide impact on the environment and our lives.
www.associationforpublicart.org:
Mei-Ling Hom is a sculptor based in Philadelphia and Allegany County, New York, whose work is featured throughout the Unitees. She obtained her MFA from Alfred University in New York in 1987 and BA from Kirkland College in New York in 1973.