Double Umami: Reflavouring Yum Cha

Description

Double Umami, presented by JPS Gallery, unites graffiti artist LOUSY and photographer David Leung (also known as DavidGoodtime), in a whimsical love letter to teahouses (茶樓 caa4 lau4). The space they built is a yum cha experience without parental supervision: Leung plays with dim sum, presenting their souls with pareidolia photography, while LOUSY draws his distinctive glyphs all over dim sum order sheets from the iconic Luk Yu Tea House; even the dim sum cart gets a makeover. The warm energy flows out of their works as they try to capture the pulse of the yum cha ritual. The flavours of their teahouse are ostensibly different, yet strangely familiar.

The façade of the building where the gallery is located adds another dimension to the playful exhibits. Partially situated in a space that used to be Po Pan Teahouse (寶賓茶室), stepping into the exhibition is surreal, walking past the shell of the revitalised Teahouse, into both artists’ mischievous show.

The exhibition also features two exclusive artist-chef collaborations available for purchase. LOUSY worked with Wendy’s Wok World to create 22 bottles of Special Collab Soy Sauce wrapped in his glyphic aesthetic. Leung and May Chow, meanwhile, deliver 50 bottles of Fook Jiang (福醬), a chilli sauce wrapped in the photographer’s Rorschach art.