A unique artistic collaboration celebrating the cultural significance of yum cha is currently on display in Hong Kong, merging street art aesthetics with surreal food photography. Titled ‘Double Umami,’ the exhibition features renowned graphic artist Lousy and visionary food photographer David Leung (known as Davidgoodtime). Hosted by the JPS Gallery, the show, which runs from January 30 to March 7, offers a multi-sensory and visually stimulating exploration of Hong Kong’s culinary DNA, transforming beloved dim sum dishes and the communal experience of tea gathering into contemporary art installations and photography.
Synthesizing Cuisine and Community
The ‘Double Umami’ exhibition serves as a profound artistic tribute to classic Cantonese cuisine, viewing the ritual of dim sum through the disparate yet complementary styles of its two creators. Leung, celebrated for his viral food imagery that harnesses the psychological phenomenon of pareidolia—the tendency to perceive faces or familiar shapes in random stimuli—presents iconic dim sum items recast in reflective, mirrored compositions. This visual trickery transforms familiar dishes like siu mai into illusory crustacean faces, as seen in the piece ‘Crab’s Kid Burn & Sell,’ or equates char siu bao with feline forms in ‘Char Siu Cat No. 2.’
In a remarkable step beyond his established photography, Leung also introduced canvases and installations, debuting his ‘Sauce’ series. These works utilize the same mirrored techniques applied with pigments, creating intricate, symmetrical patterns reminiscent of Rorschach inkblot tests. Inspired by traditional Chinese symbolism, Leung’s installations involve foldable boards layered with colour to reveal hidden faces, echoing the concepts of fortune and longevity associated with the Fu Lu Shou deities.
Capturing the Chaos of Yum Cha
In sharp contrast to Leung’s focus on the individualistic visual transformation of the food itself, Lousy’s contributions deliberately capture the energetic chaos and underlying sense of community central to the yum cha experience. Known for his bold, graphic style often likened to glyphs, Lousy works directly onto discarded dim sum order sheets, using them as a canvas to depict the hustle and bustle of a Cantonese restaurant. His pieces capture abstract interpretations of food, the kinetic action of hands pouring tea, and figures gathered around a communal table, providing a tangible, almost noisy representation of the social dynamic.
The gallery space itself features a unique centerpiece: a custom-designed dim sum cart art installation, meticulously decorated by both artists. Further embedding local artisanal skills into the show, Leung’s photographs are mounted within masterfully crafted bamboo steamers provided by Lui Ming of Ming Sang Steel Bamboo Receptacle. Another striking installation is a birdcage housing real emu eggs alongside plastic dim sum cart cards inscribed with Cantonese onomatopoeia for bird chirps, invoking the auditory memories of morning tea sessions.
Artistic Collaboration Extends Beyond the Gallery
The collaborative spirit shown in ‘Double Umami’ extends even further into the culinary world through special product partnerships. Lousy has lent his distinct artwork to a limited-edition packaging for Wendy’s Wok World’s ‘Special Collab Soy Sauce,’ transforming 22 bottles of Tiu Yuen small-batch soy sauce into collectable art.
Meanwhile, Leung collaborated with celebrated chef May Chow of Little Bao, creating original “chilli sauce” Rorschach artworks to wrap 50 bottles of her handcrafted Fook Jiang chilli sauce. These external projects underscore the exhibition’s core theme: the seamless cultural interface between Hong Kong’s dynamic art scene and its deeply cherished culinary traditions.
‘Double Umami’ successfully leverages the distinct perspectives of Lousy and David Leung to provide a fresh, engaging, and multifaceted artistic commentary on a foundational element of Hong Kong life. Through installations and visual media, the exhibition encourages visitors to reconsider the everyday act of dim sum as a complex cultural ritual that defines the city’s identity.
