In Search of Perfect Orange

"In Search of Perfect Orange" is the overarching project for which Benjamin since 2014 visited over 1.200 Chinese-Indonesian restaurants across the Netherlands in an endeavour to build an archive of this restaurant. During these visits he has collected menus, pieces of tableware and written memories of his encounters. Importantly, he has also taken photographs of over 250 unique Chinese-Indonesian dishes at these restaurants. Throughout the years Benjamin also traced back and collected many sugar packs, postcards, beer glasses and other objects all linked to (defunct) Chinese-Indonesian restaurants. The extensive archive consists of thousands of objects that forms the basis for the creation of new works of art ranging from 1000-piece puzzle works, video, sculpture and print. Benjamin also creates several daily products for people to use at home, example printed mugs, and calendars. In 2022 Benjamin founded the Billy Li Bar, an artist bar named after IKEA’s famous Billy bookshelves. The bar functions as an informal meeting point where art and food come together. In 2024 Benjamin self-published "Chin. Ind. Rest. Stickeralbum", a direct outcome of his 10 years of travel along the Chinese-Indonesian restaurants. The publication is a homage to his family and the Chinese restaurant community and celebrates the unique food culture that only exists in the Netherlands. The publication consists of archival photos of Benjamin’s parents and family in their former restaurants and old photos of beautifully carved figures and flowers from carrots. On top of these vibrant photos Benjamin invites you to stick a total of 88 stickers of Chinese dishes he photographed during his travels in the Netherlands. This interactive element is placed next to an extensive essay about the history and position of the Chinese-Indonesian restaurants in Dutch culinary landscape, the journey of his family from Hong Kong to the Netherlands and his thoughts and observations during his visits to the Chinese-Indonesian restaurants. He also responds to stereotypical and (at times) racial events that the Chinese (overseas) community(ies) often face. Benjamin foresees that the archive of In Search of Perfect Orange keeps functioning as an inspiration for new works and daily products that fosters a reappraisal of the beauty and heritage of the Chinese-Indonesian restaurant. In itself In Search of Perfect Orange embodies Benjamin search as a bi-cultural person and artist in the Netherlands and the art world.