Overcooked is a series of 3D models that portray the struggles of being a daughter in a traditional Asian family. As a child of immigrant parents, I have always felt pressure to achieve what my parents anticipated. There are high expectations that Asian parents have for their daughters. We are expected to live up to Asian beauty standards that are defined by colorism and fatphobia. We must take care of those around us, but are seen as selfish when we care for ourselves. These draining standards take a huge toll on mental health. Overcooked depicts these feelings of frustration and burnout through images of food since food is such a powerful communicator. My family is not the type to show affection towards each other, but one of the ways we show our care is through providing meals. Because of this, I find myself cooking for the people I care about. This book is a collection of some of my favorite recipes. As you flip through these pages, you will learn more about the challenges of the women featured in Overcooked.
DESCRITPTION
This exhibition can be through New Art City. The recipes for the meals featured in this gallery can be found here. These recipes came from my own virtual cookbook, a project that I hope to publish in the future. Sharing these recipes is my way of sharing my history with my audience.
Experience: As the viewer enters the exhibition room, they immediately feel like they are invited to a comforting meal at an Asian household. In the center of the room, a rotating table resembles a table from a dim sum restaurant. There is a variety of delicious-looking meals on display. As the enticing table of foods pulls them in, the viewer takes a closer look at each food item. It is then they notice the characters featured in each model. There is a recipe book on the table. When they open up the book, they have the opportunity to learn more about the story behind each model.
Technique: During the creation of Overcooked, I decided that I wanted a change in my medium. Over the course of one semester, I went from focusing on graphic design and video production to becoming a 3D animator. I took a deep dive into the possibilities of what I could create using Blender. Half of this project consisted of modeling the different characters. I spent time sculpting out facial features that would be common in different types of Asian women. For example, the women from more southern Asian countries would have double eyelids whereas the east Asian women would have monolids. The other half of this project was creating accurate depictions of each food item. I had to work with the shader nodes to make sure the textures would still look nice after I exported my models to gLTF.
Impact: When women of the Asian American community interact with this exhibition, they have a sense of comfort as they realize they are not alone in their struggles. I also want to have Asian women be represented in media in a way that brings attention to who they are on the inside. Although this exhibition is centered around a target demographic, people of all communities can relate to the topics being highlighted through each 3D model.
ARTIST BIO
Patty Ngo is a digital media artist based out of the Bay Area. Her artwork creates a rush of dopamine using feel-good imagery with subtle references to pop culture.
She uses her artwork as a form of activism, tackling topics such as environmental conservation, Asian American representation, and gender equality. She makes work with the intention of bringing attention to these heavy topics without leaving her audience feeling burdened with the harsh realities of the world. Patty believes that presenting subjects in a lighthearted way makes them easier to digest for some viewers. She works in both 2D and 3D workspaces to transport her audience into whimsical fantasy universes. Patty is currently a student of the Digital Media Arts program at San Jose State University, expected to graduate in Spring 2022.
