Potluck Party: Pai Ti Kong Feast

Join us for a potluck party at the gallery drawing on artist Jayanto Tan‘s ceramic ‘soul foods’ in the churchie emerging art prize finalists’ exhibition. From locked down Sydney where the artist is based, Tan has curated a Pai Ti Kong feast of Nyonya food, inviting the IMA community to come together in the spirit of sharing and gathering.

Tan says: “Silence is a place of great power and healing. I hope to create a ritual gathering feast as a family album. My family is scattered from Indonesia to Taiwan to China to Europe to here in Australia. And through the culture of sweet delicacies, I hope to celebrate and respect the ancestors of my family in a sharing way with the local community.“ Tan’s artwork in ‘the churchie’ was inspired by the myth and tradition of Pai Ti Kong (translated as ‘Praying [to] The Heaven God’) of his mother’s Hokkien ancestry. In this story Hokkien people escaped a violent invasion of their village by hiding in a sugarcane field and praying for their safety. When they survived the attack they emerged and honoured the Heaven God for keeping them safe through presenting offerings.