“To The Yummy Land” is a surreal artwork composed by me using Photoshop. It shows a surreal world with two kids riding giant balloons. The kids come from a nearby planet and arrive at a dreamland full of ice creams and cakes. Their eyes are glowing with joy. This is one of the happiest times in their lives. The composition clearly depicts an imaginary world, but the work is inspired by the theory of Ethnoscapes in the actual world.
As one of the five global flows according to Arjun Appadurai, Ethnoscapes specifically means global flows of people. Long ago, humans need to get food and shelter, so they move to places that have better climate and resources. As societies evolve and conflicts arise, people move in order to get more security and to avoid natural disasters, political persecution, or wars. Furthermore, people move around to get better education and job opportunities. Other times, people move from places to places because they want to explore a different world and to experience different life style. There are many reasons why people move around, but in short people move because they want to survive and thrive.
“To The Yummy Land” describes an imaginary world that I have dreamed about when I was a little kid. Perhaps many other kids have shared this dream, in which ice creams and cakes are everywhere. Cakes are as big as the kids. Ice cream bars are as tall as trees. Everything is very colorful, tasty and of different pleasant flavors such as strawberry, kiwi, and peach. The two kids arrive at this dream world with none other transportation tool than their favorite – swings pulled by balloons. Coming from a different planet, the kids fly over many hardships – mountains and oceans. But the kids are not discouraged. Their eyes are glowing with joy and excitement. To them, a land made of ice creams and cakes means a better life ahead.
My work captures that exciting moment when the kids discover the Yummy Land and they are about to land. This land represents a new continent, new opportunities, just as America was to the new European immigrants more than two hundred years ago. They had chosen to leave for an unknown place, where they had dreamed about a better life. They have just discovered this new land, and a new life is right in front of them. My work stops there in time.
What will happen next for these new comers? Would a land full of ice creams be too cold for them? Would they start feeling bored after tasting all the sweets? Can they adjust to this new land? Can they find their new roles? Can they get along with others who lived here before? Can they communicate with each other? Do they feel they are accepted here? Are they going to be homesick? What changes are they going to bring to this new land?
These are questions one might wonder when looking at the artwork. However, if I were one of those kids arriving at the Yummy Land, I would not be worried about the future too much. If I like the Yummy Land, I would stay for a little while. Then I will continue on with my journey. There are probably other lands to be explored. As a kid, I would think there are also toy lands, flower lands and other unknown lands I may not yet even able to name. Life is a journey and it is a one-way journey. It is not about the destination but about the experience of the journey. The kids come to the Yummy Land because of the ice creams and cakes at the beginning, but they will leave with much more than just a few candies. Most immigrants who pursue better opportunities in a new land usually find out later what they get is much more than they thought at the beginning. The experience – moving into new places itself turns out to be part of their lives and eventually shapes who they are. In my personal experience, I came to the US seeking a better education. I ended up having a career and building a family here in my dreamland.
I also believe the Yummy Land will not be the same as before because of the visit by the kids. The place will change because the newcomers bring in different cultures, values, aspirations, and ideas. The kids will cause as much changes on the Yummy Land as the Yummy Land will have on them.
I believe everyone has a Yummy Land in one’s heart. We may have already visited it. Others may still be planning to visit it. Ethnoscapes represents global movement of people, who look for better places that can bring better lives to them. “To The Yummy Land” shows that desire for better lives deep in our hearts and our courage to overcome difficulties in order to reach our dreamland.
