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Past Artwork

Ration Market Special

Alvin Luong

Description

Ration Market Special is a new commission that presents a fictional scene from the near future where mass displacement has begun in order to avoid rising sea levels in Southeast Asia. This work is part of a vast project by artist Alvin Luong to imagine this inevitable migration that will affect his family in Vietnam. The speculative food cart, and the commodities within it, anticipate the hurried needs of people in transit, which include meals, sim cards for telecom companies in Asia Pacific, currency exchange, and support services for visa applications. The rectangular food rations are made from rau muống, or water spinach, a vegetable which was rationed to people in the aftermath of the American-Vietnam war. Packaged as shelf-stable survival rations, the artist reimagines this plant as a necessary meal during the future climate crisis, as it grows in water and flooded areas. Ration Market Special also takes into account the special characteristics of Union Station as a hub for transportation within Canada and a connection to international travel by rail and air.

Additional Information

hub image

ArtworxTO Hub SOUTH | Union Station - PAST EXHIBITION

This hub was located at 65 Front St W, Toronto, ON M5J 2L5

Curator: Maya Wilson-Sanchez

The bustling central commuter corridor is remodeled as a creative community destination. Pass through this year to find various projects, events and activations including "I am land," a three-part exhibition series curated by Maya Wilson-Sanchez that explores the role of the artist as a chronicler.