Teil von ProtoZone16: Hallucinogenesis, 13.09.-03.11.2024

Tofutopia

This single-channel video explores tofu as an alimentary material entangled with cultural identity, gender politics, and historical narrative. The work blends found footage, archival documents, scientific exploration, and personal reflection.

It explores how tofu’s contemporary image is influenced by Western fears about its effects on masculinity. The work traces tofu’s root to Taoist alchemy, which both resonates with and deconstructs tofu’s role as a racialised and queer agent.

The video also touches on the Caséo-Sojaïne factory in France, a site of transnational activism. The architecture of Caséo-Sojaïne connects tofu’s ancient history to its contemporary image.

The video concludes with personal reflections on how food, especially tofu, connects to Asian queer identity and heritage. Through these layers, the video uncovers tofu’s cultural and political significance. Hence, the art of making tofu contains a promise of subversive resilience, pleasure and mutual care.

He Shen 何珅 (they/them) was born in Sichuan, currently lives and works in Zürich. Their work, often linked to queer and decolonial studies, covers questions related to body, space, food, gender and sexuality with a special interest in dissident desires, hidden stories and the politics of architectural space. Shen has taught at the Zürich University of the Arts, and joined the Chair of Architecture and Care (ETH Zürich) in 2023.