CHINA PALACE is an evocative re-creation of my mother’s Chinese American restaurant formerly located in a Wisconsin strip mall from the mid-eighties to early aughts. Latticework screens of cardboard and wood, captain’s chairs and round-top tables, anchor my memories of the bar, a hallway, and the dining alcoves of the restaurant. The installation brings together the myriad vases, figurines, folk art, antiques and ornaments that once adorned the original restaurant with hand-folded printed paper flowers, photogravures and screenprints. Curated by Jenny Lin, PhD. Another Beautiful Country draws its name from the Chinese translation of America (美國/měiguó) and the American-born Chinese abbreviation, ABC. 

Photos: Peter Perigo, Courtesy of USC Pacific Asia Museum. Bryan Feinzimer, Courtesy of USC Pacific Asia Museum. Courtesy of the artist.