Immortal Plastic (Aunt Hou's living room still life) 2019

Curator: Jarod Lew's photograph, "Immortal Plastic (Aunt Hou's living room still life)," presents us with a fascinating juxtaposition of cultural symbols and domestic space. Editor: Gosh, it’s… intense, isn't it? All those pinks and reds battling it out, and that gold cat—it feels like stumbling into someone’s memory. Curator: Exactly. Lew, through his lens, invites us to consider the intersection of identity and representation, particularly within immigrant communities. Note the synthetic flowers, the calendar, and the beckoning cat. Editor: They're like little time capsules, aren’t they? The fake flowers never fade, the calendar marks the passage of days... It makes you wonder about what's cherished and what's left behind. Curator: Indeed. We can understand the piece as a commentary on cultural preservation versus assimilation. The material choices, the composition, they all speak to the complex negotiations of identity formation within a diasporic context. Editor: You know, looking at it again, there's something almost defiant about it. Like Aunt Hou is saying, "This is me, this is my space, and I'm making it beautiful in my own way." It’s really quite moving. Curator: Absolutely. Lew captures that tension, that negotiation, beautifully. Editor: It sticks with you, doesn’t it? Like a half-remembered dream.