Benjamin Li - Chinees-Indisch Restaurant Stickeralbum

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Published in 2024
30 x 23 cm
softcover
Edition of 1000
Language: Dutch, Chinese and a separate flyer with the English translation
ISBN 9789090383385

Since 2014, Li has visited over 1,000 'Chinese-Indisch' (Chinese Indonesian) restaurants across the Netherlands, creating an archive of menus, tableware, and personal stories. He explores the richness, variety and charm of these restaurants.

However, for Li the restaurants represent more than just culinary enjoyment; they symbolize his family's resilience and a broader journey towards integration for the Asian diaspora within Dutch society. Many of his relatives, including his parents, have worked in restaurants to build a life in their new homeland. Through his art, Li honors these establishments, though often misunderstood, highlighting their cultural and historical significance. In doing so, his work challenges stereotypes and prejudices faced by Asians in the Netherlands, focusing on identity, representation, displacement, foodways and a sense of home.

In the stickeralbum, Benjamin Li combines unique images from his family's rich restaurant life with stickers of Chinese-Indonesian dishes and personal anecdotes about his restaurant visits. The stickeralbum is Li's tribute to the Chinese-Indonesian restaurants, the hard-working Chinese community and everyone who cares about them. Collect, trade, paste and taste this unique insight into the world of Chinese-Indonesian restaurants. Enjoy your meal!