Peel Remembers May 2025
A4 80gsm
Newspaper Printed in London, UK, 2025
“
A fruit that speaks when we can’t.
When words are too heavy, hands take over. Write. Shape. Let go.
”
An emotional message, folded into fruit
In most traditional Asian families, love is rarely spoken aloud. It is not expressed through hugs or words like ‘I love you’ or ‘I’m sorry.’ Instead, love is shown through quiet actions, through hard work, sacrifice, and small routines. Peeling a tangerine is one such act. In this project, I aim to explore what the tangerine represents in various cultural contexts, how it’s consumed, peeled, gifted, and shared, as a symbol of love, and subtle human connect on. Through stories, visuals, and historical insights, I hope to ‘peel’ back the layers of this everyday fruit to reveal the deep and tender meanings hidden within its skin.
In cultures influenced by Confucian values, such as those in East Asia, family communication is often guided by hierarchy and emotional restraint. Expressions of love or gratitude (especially across generations) may be considered unnecessary or even inappropriate. According to Yum (1988) explains, East Asian relationships tend to rely on high-context nonverbal communication patterns, in which indirect expressions and actions often convey more than spoken words. Across generations, saying “thank you” or “sorry” can be challenging, but love is still given, though it’s not always expressed verbally. It might come in the form of a peeled tangerine, after an argument, let silently on your desk. In that gesture lives a world of care.