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Amos Kang & Yizhi Liu
Doki Doki Tutu’s Delivery Service!!
Curated by Shuang Cai
Tutu Gallery
February 14 - April 11, 2025
This was supposed to be a show filled with lovely imagery, light tones, and abundant joy.
When I first envisioned this exhibition, I was drawn to two of my friends’ works for their shared sense of playfulness and visual charm. On the surface, the aesthetics align effortlessly: soft tones, inviting compositions, and an immediate, almost instinctive appeal. It felt like they were speaking the same language—a perfect match for the lighthearted and joyful experience I hoped to curate. But as I spent more time with their work, I began to sense an undercurrent of divergence. What initially seemed like harmony slowly unraveled into something far more complex. Beneath their presentational similarities lay two distinct approaches, each shaped by a different intention and process.
Amos approaches his practice with a critical edge, using humor to dissect and analyze. For him, cuteness is not merely an aesthetic—it’s a concept to be deconstructed, reframed, and even reclaimed. His works cleverly twist the familiar, prompting viewers to question their assumptions and perceptions.
Yizhi, in contrast, works with a quiet persistence rooted in daily rituals and deeply authentic emotions. Her practice is not driven by critique but by a steady, intuitive process of discovery. Each piece emerges from the accumulation of gestures as the visual language is constructed slowly, organically, and with care.
The contrast becomes unavoidable upon closer inspection. I even tried to hide my failure as a storyteller to find the common space for these parallel yet fundamentally different practices with the idea of a sweet stew. The idea was fun but didn’t exactly sit well with me.
But perhaps that discomfort is the point.
Amos and Yizhi’s practices don’t need to align or resolve into a singular narrative. Instead, their messy, layered, and at times dissonant coexistence offers something even more compelling: a space where humor meets sincerity, critique converses with intuition, and the tension between two vastly different approaches creates new possibilities for interpretation. And, against all odds, they ultimately bring you back to the same starting point with their cohesive graphical charm.
Like how a recipe rarely leads any meal preparer to immediate success, this show is not a readily-made neatly composed stew but a recipe to be practiced, tinkered, and adjusted. For now, the kinks of the recipe are exactly the point. It invites you to sit with all the contradictions, to embrace the imperfections, and to discover meaning not in resolution, but in the act of preparing it, peeling out its many layers.
Doki Doki. It may be Tutu’s delivery service for the ingredients. I can hear my heart again.
Shuang Cai
02.05.2025
Yizhi Liu (b.1999, Shenzhen) is a Brooklyn-based painter and creative technology artist. She collects the scattered, subtle, and sometimes dissonant fragments of emotions, then processes, translates, and transforms them into visual expressions. Despite being a native Chinese person, she once scored 5 out 100 in a Chinese test. To her, words are like the tiny living creatures that dance and shift in her imagery. Yizhi holds a B.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts and a Master’s from NYU ITP.
Amos Kang (b. 1999, NJ) is a Brooklyn-based artist. In the form of speculative objects and installations, Kang explores Kawaii: a cultural lexicon embodying the aesthetic of cute, questioning themes of cultural consumption and reproduction. Crafted from synthetic materials and processes like PLA-plastic and 3D printing, he creates anthropomorphized kawaii objects that serve as representations of “asianized” bodies. Kang holds a B.F.A. from Rhode Island School of Design.
Shuang Cai (b.1999, Beijing)’s curatorial endeavors aim to bring forth the power of interconnectedness and diverse voices across communities. Their art practices focus on logic, interactions, and humor. And they currently shares a studio in Dumbo with LuLyu and Ruichao Jiang (you’re welcome to visit any time). Shuang graduated with duo degrees in Computer Science and Studio Art from Bard College and holds a Master’s from NYU ITP.
Tutu Gallery is a DIY art space located in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, founded in July 2019 by Tutu (cat) and her human assistant April. Tutu aims to show art slightly “off the wall”, in the space, and with interesting people. As of 2024, the gallery has presented 39 projects, mostly first solo or two-person shows of international emerging artists. The shows and artists here are featured in i-D, Hyperallergic, Harper’s BAZAAR China, Brooklyn Rail, New York Review of Architecture, and many more.
For inquiries contact April: tutugallery.meow@gmail.com
Recipe for Cute Rumination
Serves: A meal full of people ready to chew the cud.
Your classic Valentine-esque American cuteness is treated to a new interpretation with recursive daily practices and East Asian lens. The comforting familiarity of the visuals stands boldly against the rich irony of this roasted reality, offering new, refined flavors that demand to be savored.
Pour yourself a glass of Chamisul, or perhaps a bottle of Qingdao, and enjoy this beautifully layered roast—perfect for a holiday gathering or an introspective evening in.
2 dozen collected moments, tender and raw, bursting with emotions.
3 Kim’s Family Patatos, Kims is a must
1 cup of sugar, for marination
A generous helping of articulated characters, prepared from scratch
1 piece of freshly picked houseplant, must be from the windowsill
1 piece of flower-shaped sticky trap, preferably from the same pot
1 pinch of salt, as sprinkles
Prepare the characters (the soul):
Cultivate the characters—figures born from repetitive, mindful practices. Each interaction adds complexity, grounding them in a million fleeting “heres and nows.” Simmer them until their richness infuses the pot, creating an aromatic depth that anchors the dish.
Start with the broth(the base):
Cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Marinate them for 3 hours with sugar to bring out their sweetness. Simmer these in a stock infused with articulated characters—grounded, unapologetically present, and layered with raw emotions. Let the potato-based broth and the character-rich stock simmer side by side.
Add collected moments(the heart):
Slowly add two dozen collected moments, one by one. These serve as the emotional backbone of the dish, each moment contributing a unique texture. The result is reflective but not nostalgic, playful but not naïve.
Add the houseplant and sticky trap (humor and tensions):
Toss the freshly picked houseplant into the pot—it grounds the flavors with its earthy, unassuming authenticity. Add the sticky trap for a playful tension that enhances the dish’s humor. Both ingredients should ideally come from real, lived spaces.
Allow flavors to collide (the dialogue):
Swirl the pot gently, allowing the flavors to converse rather than homogenize. The potato-based broth brings warmth and depth, while the character-rich stock adds immediacy and layers of emotion. Together, they weave a narrative both sweet and sharp.
Season with salt (the balance):
Add a pinch of salt to bring out the underlying sweetness and add depth. The salt introduces a sharp, unexpected edge that surprises and lingers, cutting through the familiar comfort of the dish.
