05/28/2021
Exhibition Statement:
“Refined White Flour examines systemic racism through TASTELESS satire. Artists AmbeR Day Scott and Simon Welch acknowledge their own experiences as the beneficiaries of privilege, cultural appropriation/erasure, and inherent bias. They have chosen to use their platform to invite others to consider, recognize, and rectify their participation in the system.
In this installation we step into a world not unlike our own. Overt and subtle racism is embedded throughout the products and marketing of fictional white owned businesses. These businesses manipulate and exploit symbols, spiritual practices, language, and food to placate the palate of America’s dominant culture. The themes, menu items, and stylized symbols spotlight current issues in society today including the glorification of police brutality and romanticism of colonization. Family lineage, prestige and bloodlines create a fantasy dining experience. Puns and cheeky comments are made throughout to highlight the generational trauma, erasure, and exploitation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) and their cultures.
Each restaurant is represented by an illuminated wooden menu box. Each of the menu boxes include two print plates. These plates are used to create the two-dimensional art within the exhibit, spreading the offensive jokes, art, puns, and logos like a virus. Additional sculptural elements in the space reinforce the themes and allude to things-to-come.
The Artists are grateful for your participation in this experience and encourage you to seek out and support BIPOC businesses and Artists. 30% of any sales from this exhibit will be donated to the Youth Opportunity Center. Direct donations to the YOC can be made via Venmo “
