University of Winnipeg and downtown community newspaper
University of Winnipeg and downtown community newspaper
Martha Street Studio is pleased to present to be held in two hands, a duo exhibition by Sonali Menezes (ON) and Snack Witch Joni Cheung (QC).
Exhibition Dates: July 12 – August 24, 2024
Closing Reception: Friday August 23, 2024 @ 5 – 8 pm
Join us for an Artist’s Demo Workshop on Saturday August 24, 2024 @ 1pm at Martha Street Studio! This demo workshop is free to attend and open to the public.
Exhibition Response by Alana MacDougall
See the full exhibition text on our site here: https://www.printmakers.mb.ca/to-be-held-in-two-hands-sonali-menezes-snack-witch-joni-cheung/
//
It takes two,
hands to
clear off a table
wash a tower of dishes
cut a mango
serve a meal
feed others
nourish ourselves
We are reaching,
for a plate of food
for connections to the lands and waters we currently call home
to the places our ancestors cared for and flourished with
We call back
through food
patiently waiting for our voices to intertwine
over long distances
Staring at bright marigold stains
that are probably older than we are
our minds wander to meals shared with family members
While eating alone
Something we have had to learn
growing up in so-called Canada
Getting lost in the messiness
in the markings and spaces between
are our (hi)stories and relations
//
Snack Witch Joni Cheung and Sonali Menezes grew up eating food. Often with two hands: to pull apart a steamed bun, to rip off a piece of bhatura to dip into channa; to offer a serving, to cut a mango. Sometimes the messiness was cleaned up with a good morning towel, marks revealing the history of what food was shared.
Other times, haldi stains remain on skin, wooden spoons, and under nails. Both artists are part of Asian diasporas born here in so-called Canada, originating in Hong Kong, and Goa, India respectively.
As they navigate the in-betweenness of being settlers and second-generation immigrants, they reach back to their homelands through food. They connect to the land through taste, by eating, in gratitude, by sharing around a table.