Benjamin Li
In Search of Perfect Orange
2016
Details
Type
Time-Based Media
Material and technique
3 channel video installation
Subject
Video
Dimensions
6,16min
Identifier
mav 2025-12
Source
Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem. Acquisition made possible thanks to contributions from the Friends of the Frans Hals Museum and the Mondriaan Fund.
About the artwork
One by one, mangetout, peppers, shiitake mushrooms and pieces of chicken are moved from one plate to the other. Benjamin Li's parents’ hands form a bowl in which the dish is passed on – a symbol of migration, of departure and arrival. Since 2014 Li has visited over a thousand Chinese-Indonesian restaurants in the Netherlands, to attain a better understanding of his family history. To him, these restaurants symbolise the resilience of his family and the integration of the Chinese community in the Netherlands.