Benjamin Li – In Search of Perfect Orange
‘In Search of Perfect Orange’ is an interactive exhibition in Foam by Rotterdam conceptual artist Benjamin Li. His work explores themes such as identity, belonging, labor and cultural heritage, using food to shed light on these complex subjects.
Photography, video, sculptures and puzzles
Since 2014, Li has visited over 1,000 Chinese-Indonesian restaurants in the Netherlands, building a rich archive of menus, tableware and personal stories. With photography, video, sculptures, puzzles, and images of Chinese-Indonesian dishes, he shows the diversity and charm of these restaurants. For Li, these eateries symbolize more than just good food; they represent the resilience of his family and the broader integration of the Asian community in the Netherlands. Many of his family members, including his parents, worked in restaurants to build a new life. Li honours these often undervalued places with his work while emphasizing their cultural and historical value. His work challenges stereotypes and prejudices that Asians encounter in the Netherlands and focuses on themes such as identity, representation, displacement, cultural eating habits and feeling at home.
Chinese-Indonesian Restaurant Sticker Album
One of his recent projects, the Chinese-Indonesian Restaurant Sticker Album, which is part of the exhibition, invites visitors to interact with this heritage by collecting and exchanging stickers. At the heart of the exhibition is a large round table with a rotating artwork inspired by Halma, also known as Chinese checkers. The pawns of the game are carved in the shape of roses, which refers to the Chinese technique of carrot carving that Li’s father practices. With the exhibition, Li tries to balance exposing the absurdity of certain stereotypes and revaluing the beauty and heritage of the Chinese-Indonesian restaurant.
