An ongoing venture involving the consumption of over 350 Filet-O-Fish burgers by China-born, UK-based artist Junhao Wu. 4 years in the past, whereas a lot of the world was nonetheless below pandemic restrictions, Wu was learning Up to date Pictures Practices and Philosophies at Central Saint Martins in London. Through the lockdowns Wu imagined the day he might stroll right into a McDonald’s freely because the mark of a return to normalcy. On that day he ordered a Filet-O-Fish at random. Struck by the smoothness of the bun, he took a photograph. Since then Wu has visited greater than 150 McDonald’s eating places, primarily within the UK and China. He all the time orders the Filet-O-Fish and all the time takes a photograph from a hard and fast, top-down angle and uploads it to the Chinese language social platoform Rednote (Xiaohongshu). As a scholar the selection was pushed just by economics and nostalgia. Born in a communist revolutionary city in southern China, McDonald’s was a part of joyful childhood recollections. Wu might recall consuming McDonald’s as a particular occasion he might brag about to buddies at college:
“As a toddler, in fact, I didn’t know why that counted as a bragging rights. Perhaps I get the reply now: we don’t actually need the expertise of consuming McDonald’s or the burgers themselves, however we need what others need (which may be formed by public media). Once I grew older, I dreamed of leaving my hometown, hoping that sooner or later I can reside in a metropolis and eat McDonald’s on daily basis…. It wasn’t till later that I lastly realised consuming a McDonald’s meal in a capital metropolis and having a bowl of stir-fried noodles in my hometown are literally the identical extraordinary life expertise. So, what precisely was the “higher life” that I used to be always chasing?”
When Wu’s social media posts began to achieve traction—and different folks began to love and share the “easy” and “good” bun pattern together with McDonald’s China joined in—Wu turn into uncomfortable. He was even supplied a place in public relations with McDonald’s headquarters in China, which he declined. On the finish of the day, Wu sees himself as “only a particular person leveraging social platforms (a tool for pictures), borrowing the worldwide affect of McDonald’s to unfold a extra private mode of statement and storytelling.”
Junhao Wu participated in our 2025 Booooooom Artwork & Picture Guide Award and made our shortlist. Click on right here to take a look at all of our present and upcoming open calls!
