Footscray to showcase Yee’s childhood memories in unique art exhibition

By Our Reporter
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Image courtesy the artist. Your classic Aussie-Chinese restaurant is likely to disappear in the next decade or two: Yee said. Exhibition on now until 15 September 2024, Footscray Community Arts

Steffie Yee’s 2023 residency at Footscray Community Arts has given rise to a unique exhibition titled Chinese Restaurant Playground, on display from 12 June to 15 September. The showcase, an evocative mix of childhood memories and imaginative play, is rooted in the frenetic settings of Yee’s parents’ family business.

“My parents’ Chinese restaurant, Yee’s, served four generations of customers over 40 years. It was the backdrop of my childhood,” says Yee. The exhibition is an artistic documentation of her childhood experiences as the daughter of Malaysian-Chinese restaurant owners in Branxton, NSW.

Yee’s exhibition brings to life her memories of rollerblading through the restaurant, using pot lids as cymbals, making play dough from spring roll pastry batter, and riding a motorbike in the yard behind the restaurant. It is a multimedia collection that includes multilingual animations, videos, illustrations, and photographs, exploring her upbringing in the regional NSW town.

The exhibition seeks to humanise the people behind the ‘local Chinese restaurant,’ a term often overlooked due to language barriers and a historical focus on Anglo-Celtic and European migration in regional Australian narratives. Themes of nostalgia, family, food, language, and community are woven throughout the showcase, presenting a rare perspective on Hunter Valley history.

“Your classic Aussie-Chinese restaurant is likely to disappear in the next decade or two,” Yee notes. “These restaurants are symbols of survival, resilience, and hope for Chinese migrants who settled in this country. The parents endure the hard work so their children can have a less laborious future.”

This exhibition is the result of a four-month residency at the historic Henderson House studios, allowing Yee to elevate her artistic practice and embark on new creative endeavours. Outside her personal art practice, Yee works as a freelance animator, creating work for notable clients such as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Warner Music, PinkPantheress, Sam Smith, Justin Bieber, and Chinatown Sydney.

Footscray Community Arts continues to provide platforms for underrepresented communities in the arts and cultural sectors. Chinese Restaurant Playground aims to shine a light on the stories behind local Chinese restaurants, stories that are often at risk of being lost.

Steffie Yee’s work has garnered international attention, screening at the Atlanta Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, and Palm Springs ShortFest, where her film “The Lost Sound” received nominations for Best Animated Short and Best Animated Student Short. In 2023, her work was showcased at the TEDxSydney Youth conference, celebrating young creators’ ideas and contributions. Her animations have been featured on Vimeo Staff Picks, Motionographer, and BOOOOOOOM TV.

Yee’s artistic journey, deeply inspired by her Malaysian-Chinese heritage and unique upbringing in the Hunter Valley, continues to resonate through her creative works, capturing the essence of her experiences and the broader narrative of Chinese migrants in Australia.


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