The several bags of rice inside the Syracuse University Art Museum might look edible. But if you actually tried to take a bite, you’d have a mouthful of clay.

“I love that people often mistake the sculptures for their real-life counterparts from afar,” said Stephanie Shih, the ceramic artist behind the sculptures.

The bags and accompanying rice cooker are part of Shih’s show, “My Sweetie Has No Pockmarks.” This collection is the second iteration of the museum’s Art Wall Project, which displays an up-and-coming artist’s work in the front of the museum.

The exhibit is reflective of Shih’s usual style, as her work in the past has included hyper-realistic sculptures of food to make a commentary on Asian-American culture. The pieces exhibit a strong attention to detail — even at a short distance, they appear to be real bags of rice.

“One thing that stands out to me about this exhibit is that the art is just so appealing and cute,” said Melissa Yuen, the curator for Shih’s show.

The show is a commentary on the wide range of Asian-American experiences. Shih said the title of the exhibit is a play on a common Chinese saying: if children do not finish their food, each grain of rice left in their bowls after dinner will be a pimple on their future partner’s face.

Shih worked with Yuen to find the best place on campus for her display. Together, they developed the exhibit to explore the history of the Asian diaspora and its effects, and to show the SU community that the Asian-American identity is not monolithic. The exhibit lies in the Shaffer Art Building, right next to the Shemin Auditorium.

Every piece of artwork at the exhibit is sculpted from a real reference. Shih said she intentionally chose bags that varied in agriculture, asian cuisine, uses in cooking and countries of origin.

Shih’s ceramic process is very tactile, Yuen said. To create the bags, she stacks clay coils on top of each other, creating a hollow structure. Viewers who pay careful attention will see light grooves on each piece where Shih’s fingers deliberately shaped and smoothed the stacked coils. This process captures miniscule details such as the textural differences between the sculptures of paper bags and cloth bags.

The different bags of rice also spark conversation about variations in Asian-American culture, Yuen said. Shih aimed to craft a commentary about how the Western gaze flattens and reduces rice to represent an entire culture. Shih demonstrates this through the subtle changes in texture and variety of brand to show the wide array of experiences contained in the Asian diaspora, Yuen said.

“I was struck by the way in which Stephanie uses this very quotidian subject matter of food, especially grocery items, to explore issues about identity, about culture, about authenticity,” Yuen said.

As an Asian-American curator, Yuen said she has a nuanced perspective on the exhibit and values authenticity within the Asian diaspora. Her favorite piece is “Asian Best Milagrosa Jasmine Rice,” because it is a brand that she personally grew up with.

The exhibit will be displayed at the Syracuse Art Museum until the end of the academic year, but one piece, “Extra Fancy Botan Calrose Rice,” will remain after the exhibit closes. Yuen encourages students to visit both this exhibit and the museum as a whole to enhance their academic experience with a creative outlet.

“I’m excited to display Asian-American art in such a public space,” Yuen said.

Published on August 29, 2022 at 11:27 pm