Installation view of 《Middle Ground: (Im)possible Kitchen》 © Alternative Space LOOP
Alternative
Space LOOP presents a solo exhibition 《Middle
Ground: (Im)possible Kitchen》 by artist Minja Gu, on
view through November 14.
《Middle Ground: (Im)possible Kitchen》 begins
with a proposition that reverses the asymmetry of reproduction labour, where is
expected to feed the family, yet has no say in setting the rules of the table.
If everyone in the world sat at one table, bringing even taboos they no longer
practised, what could they eat together?
The
question is not simply about finding a common denominator, but about what must
be removed to make complete inclusion possible. The exhibition turns the shared
meal into an experiment, asking what happens when different dietary rules must
all be followed at once.
Installation view of 《Middle Ground: (Im)possible Kitchen》 © Alternative Space LOOP
Minja
Gu’s 《Middle Ground》 is a work in progress. While
the Meal Goes On follows a meal through preparation,
cooking, and sharing together, as well as what remains afterwards. In Until
We Eat Together, Amal and Salma, who have been making meal kits at
Baraka Community Library at Itaewon, Max, who runs a shop in Itaewon, and chef
Lee Hye-seung each prepare a meal according to their own practices.
Those
who once had to set aside their own food traditions in Korean kitchens now set
the terms for how meals might be shared. As Gu puts it, “through eating, we
create the world we belong to.” Middle Ground is a site of experimentation,
where each day brings another possibility for eating together.
