GARDEN OF LOST MACARONS II – MIRAGE: Edible Art Installation by Artist Gao Panpan
GARDEN OF LOST MACARONS II – MIRAGE is a sequel to the 2023 installation GARDEN OF LOST MACARONS by food installation artist Gao Panpan. In the immersive experience of "tasting", Gao explores "chaos", "rebirth", "loss", "self" and the multifaceted integration and collision of the world today from a novel perspective.
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Hosted at Qualia Contemporary Art:
In this installation, the artist presents a miniature Zen garden in which every visible element is edible, from the “rocks” to the “gravel.” Each component carries its own distinct and unexpected flavor, coming together as a complex, layered tasting experience. As the audience begins to eat, their senses are activated and tested, as if navigating a maze of flavors.
At the center of the scene are vividly colored macarons—an iconic French confection and a symbol of Western culture—unexpectedly situated within a Zen landscape associated with the East. Traditionally filled with sweet creams, these macarons instead contain salty, spicy, and otherwise distinctly Asian flavors, complicating assumptions about identity and origin. Around them, Taihu scholar’s rocks, though visually rooted in classical Chinese aesthetics, taste rich and creamy. Pebbles reveal tropical fruit notes, while the modest gravel and sand are infused with Asian spices. Strange fish forms and peculiar butterflies further destabilize the scene.
The carefully ordered Zen temple is encircled by apparent disorder—ruins, ancient stones, and broken walls that hint at collapse or transformation. From this chaos, crystal-clear eggs emerge, at once fragile and enigmatic, inviting the viewer to question their presence and flavor. The resulting tableau is dreamlike and surreal, a mirage in which East and West, ruin and renewal, surface beauty and hidden taste are layered into a dense field of symbolism.
