Same Rice, Same Shit – Gabriel Cheah

Gabriel Cheah
Variable size 135(H) x 56(W) x 56(D)cm
Acrylic, 24K gold leaf, hand- moulded ceramic, European crystals, mineral textured paint & tiles
2025
Food divides us in flavor, heritage, and ritual, but the body unites us in digestion.
This installation begins with a ceramic rice bag placed atop a square plinth, rice stalks sprouting from the top. At the bottom of each side of the plinth, discreetly placed near the floor, lie identical ceramic sculptures of gold feces — shaped slightly differently, but made from the same material and color. They are absurdly honest. They declare the obvious: No matter what rice you eat, we all shit the same.
The work uses crude beauty and satire to confront the illusion of cultural superiority. If what enters us as difference exits us as sameness, why are we still fighting?
It invites viewers to laugh, squirm, and reflect, challenging both cultural pride and prejudice with something as unavoidable and universal as the toilet. Tanah, gold, migration, and homeland will be Gabriel’s overarching theme for his second solo.