Installation view of ‘P&S Recipe Shop’ 2006
Chong Boon Pok & Yak Beow Seah – P&S Recipe Shop
23rd June – 16th July 2006
Malay installation artists Chong Boon Pok and Yak Beow Seah performed the culmination of fifteen years of work in their revolutionary take on the role of everyday activities in contemporary art. P&S Recipe Shop was a continuous performance exploring issues ranging from the artistic potential and economic value of cooking and serving food, to art as a “way of living”. Pok described their vision as a means to “bring awareness to the aesthetic potentials of ordinary activities.” In P&S Recipe Shop Pok and Seah made food and drinks, ran cooking demonstrations and games, and discussed the interaction between art and life. Visitors were invited to taste Pok and Seah’s creations, buy food and cooking equipment, watch a video of the installation’s construction, or merely relax with a cup of Malay style coffee and a newspaper. All activities became an integral part of the ongoing performance. “I hesitate to claim myself as an artist. For me, Art is neither a profession nor a hobby; it is certainly not something apart from life itself. Like many would describe one of the Eastern thoughts, it is ‘a way of being’; Art is the everyday.” Chong Boon Pok
Pok and Seah brought art into the eating environment with their Art Café in Malaysia, opened in 1992. They are also known for minimal sculptures and interactive installations made from unconventional everyday materials such as sugar, milk, chopsticks and watercress. Seah was short-listed for the Bloomberg New Contemporaries in 2002 for an installation in which he gave away free massages to visitors, and their work frequently explores the process of giving or receiving. In their previous collaboration they constructed a free soup kitchen in the 2004 project Stir at Unit 2 Gallery in Whitechapel. Stir provided a communal table and a variety of soup prepared and served by Pok and Seah with the intention of using art as a medium for bringing people closer and talking about art, the act of dining, and sharing free meals.
Chong Boon Pok & Yak Beow Seah – P&S Recipe Shop was supported by the Arts Council England, London Metropolitan University, Benihana and GO.
