Artists
Photo Credit: NIU Chun-Chiang
LO Yi Chun
LO Yi Chun
| Location | USA / Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Residency | Contemporary Arts International (CAI) |
| Year of the Grant | 2014 |
| Work | Banana Justice – The Drama of Global Trades and Riots |
In 2021 Lo received the Honorable Mention Award, Taipei Fine Arts Museum.
Creative Concept:
Banana is a farm produce item that feeds millions, and in some areas, it is a staple for the local people. Hidden in the backdrop, however, are many political and economic interventions, which have long exploited farmers and laborers, sacrificing them for capitalism. My works are derived from environmental art with a focus on decreasing farmland and global food security; I am also concerned with living conditions of farmers and laborers, as well as changes in our environment. I always use local materials as my media, and create with recycled or organic materials. Therefore, as a continuation of my interest in the banana trade, I have decided to use banana peels for my works.
I began by looking for appropriate partners in towns and cities near CAI, visiting various juice bars, ice cream shops, and supermarkets. I explained to the owners my plan and the origin of my art project, and after repeated verbal communications and exchange of emails, I finally gained the supports of an ice cream shop in West Concord, and a supermarket that sold various organic products. Every week or two, I rode to the shops on my bicycle to pick up the banana peels they kept for me. Sometimes I would go to the ice cream shop to bake some bananas, and take home the baked banana peels. I pressed and sundried these banana peels I collected (CAI has enough outdoor space for me to expose these peels under the sun), and in the end, I used these banana peels to make three painting-like installations: History of Banana Republic, Boycott of Market Basket, and Umbrella Revolution in HK. All three works are made entirely of banana peels. I use banana, a common fruit, to present how farmers, workers, and the general public humbly fight against ideologies such as globalization, capitalism, and dictatorship.