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M+ Sigg Collection, Hong Kong. By donation, © Pak Sheung Chuen
Pak Sheung Chuen 白雙全
The Miracle of $132.30 $132.30 的神蹟
2009
In The Miracle of $132.30, Pak Sheung Chuen purchased eight items at a shop in Hong Kong. The products—tea, toothpaste, Vitasoy soy milk drink, cough syrup, Band-Aids, orange-flavoured iced tea, blackcurrant pastilles, and green apple–flavoured candy—are displayed with the receipt and a plastic shopping bag.
These ordinary purchases belie a secretly encoded message; when the receipt is read from top to bottom, the second Chinese character on each line forms the Biblical quotation, ‘Whoever believes in him may have eternal life’. For Pak, who was raised as a Christian, religious faith is similar to making art, as both are a means of self-exploration and expression. In his practice, he uses everyday objects to locate and produce deeper meaning, often involving elements of performance. Pak’s subtle interventions within and outside art institutions probe ideas of cultural exchange and the relationship between public and private. The Miracle of $132.30 raises issues related to commodity culture, commercialism, and the circulation of goods, while at the same time finding poetry and mystery in daily activities and transactions.
These ordinary purchases belie a secretly encoded message; when the receipt is read from top to bottom, the second Chinese character on each line forms the Biblical quotation, ‘Whoever believes in him may have eternal life’. For Pak, who was raised as a Christian, religious faith is similar to making art, as both are a means of self-exploration and expression. In his practice, he uses everyday objects to locate and produce deeper meaning, often involving elements of performance. Pak’s subtle interventions within and outside art institutions probe ideas of cultural exchange and the relationship between public and private. The Miracle of $132.30 raises issues related to commodity culture, commercialism, and the circulation of goods, while at the same time finding poetry and mystery in daily activities and transactions.
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