At Least I Can Buy Myself a Piece of Love, So Do You
2021
Receipt, purchased items, pamphlets
Dimensions variable
After arriving in London, the artist created this work during his quarantine in The Rochester Hotel. During the quarantine, he developed dust mite allergy symptoms in his hotel room. At 10:30 in the morning on October 18, 2021, he received a message from his good friend in Beijing, a photo of her mother’s death certificate. He wanted to do something for her, but he didn’t know what he could do to help her.
Later he went to the nearest supermarket and bought four items, and the commodity information formed an acrostic on the receipt:
L’oreal Elvive Colour Protect Conditioner 250ml
Oreo Vanilla 154g
Vanish Oxi Action Stain Remover Spray 500ml
Ella’s Spagi Bolognese Stage 2 130
After marking the four letters with red dots on the receipt, the artist took photos of the receipt and the four items to send to his friend. He also messaged her: “Take good care of yourself, although both of us are going through some pain, at least I can buy myself a piece of love, so do you.”
The artist designed and printed some pamphlets, then put them on the hotel concierge desk alongside those free city guides until he checked out of the hotel.