“my parents met at the fish market”
Jason Phu
27 Oct → 9 Dec 2017

Plunged into the psyche of rising Australian artist Jason Phu is the gallery-wide installation my parents met at the fish market.

In the major new commission by West Space, Jason Phu's my parents met at the fish market showcased the breadth and depth of the artist's ability to navigate his Chinese/Vietnamese cultural upbringing, family and nostalgia, across five distinct spaces.

Comprised of large-scale murals and all-consuming sculptures, Phu’s installation blurred the line between the real and spiritual worlds, flickers of memories, and vivid psychological states.

Equal parts intimate and irreverent, my parents met at the fish market brings Phu's skill in combining autobiography, mythology and materiality into sharp and unwavering focus.

"In my memories, we are eating fish and chips on the astroturf at the fish markets where my mum used to work. My dad brings over half dozen oysters and squeezes a lemon wedge over them.

In my dreams a long orange wurm cuts through our dinner at home, we are eating raw salmon. My dad tells me there are syringes buried in the sand at the beach.

In my nightmares the sun has exploded and we will live forever as a gentle glow.

My dad puts eggshells and fish guts on his chilli plant in our backyard, and then he pisses on it. My mum and I watch from nearby, we’re both drinking orange juice." — Jason Phu