Sweet and Sour Memories

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Edith Chu, “Szechuen Prawns,” 2023

serigraph and tea on paper, 5.5 x 5.5 x 9.75” (courtesy of the artist)

Artist Talk/Reception: March 27 from 6-8 pm (talk at 6:30 pm)

The Art Gallery of St. Albert (part of the Arts and Heritage Foundation) is launching its newest exhibition in the beautiful main gallery space. Sweet and Sour Memories is a story about family, honouring the legacy of Chinese immigrants.

Edmonton artist Edith Chu looks back on her life growing up in her family’s restaurant Szechuen Cuisine. Her memories of this time form the foundation of her experience as a first generation Canadian. With career opportunities limited for newcomers, her parents opened a family run restaurant. Edith’s dad worked in the kitchen, with her mother managing the front of house. Edith and her brothers were there on weekends and throughout the summer.

Sweet and Sour Memories is the story of her family, and families like hers. Delicate watercolour paintings of restaurant life capture the day-to-day. There are family photos drawn onto replica guest cheques. Edith’s own memories are captured on sculptural take-out boxes and in narrative photographs. Moments of rest between the lunch and dinner rush merge with recipes of favourite dishes, which in turn tell stories of regular customers.

“The restaurants I’ve chosen to paint each have a significance, whether it’s Bing’s#1, the oldest Chinese diner in Alberta, or Szechuen Cuisine, my father’s restaurant. I wanted to memorialize these places and pay tribute to them, especially as Chinatowns across North America are declining,” Edith Chu says. “The artwork is about causing viewers to slow down and pay attention to the voices of many Chinese immigrants. Understanding where they came from, the obstacles they faced, their sacrifices and their contributions to society, to foster understanding and appreciation,” she adds.

Events:

• Virtual tour: March 26 at noon on Facebook Live

• In-person tour: April 3 at 6:30 pm

• Co-Curator Tour (along with Musée Héritage Museum Curator re: Signs of the Times museum exhibition) April 4 at 3 pm