Zoe Liu
菠蘿包系列
The Buns Series looks at parenting and educational traditions in Hong Kong that value obedience, memorization and drilling rather than independence and analytical thinking. This “force-feeding” is made evident in the drawings with the Pineapple buns (菠蘿包) in the children's mouths, and through the many layers of calligraphy of common Hong Kong idioms such as “The more you work, the more you earn” and “Making money is all-important”. The repetition evokes nagging parental scolding and the act of copying text, a common punishment in classrooms.
The figures are rendered in loose gestures but the ridiculous buns are hyper- realistic. The buns are symbolic of the supreme life goal in Chinese culture - getting enough food for the family. The formula taught to me was hard work = good grade = good job = bright future = food to eat (搵食)/earn enough basic needs.