Roo Dhissou is an artist and researcher based in Birmingham, who works with communities, diasporas and her own histories. Using community engaged practice, craft, cooking, performance and installation she explores how communal and individual identities are formed.
Inspired by the Gurdwara steel thalis, the hand crafted clay thalis featured in Don’t Play With Your Food, were made through a literal process of embedding clay in a steel tray to take on the form and meaning of the generous practice of Langar. The trays were painted in peach glazes, reminiscent of the 1970s iridescent glass tea sets that came out on special occasions. They were decorated with Punjabi folk songs that question caste, food politics and growing. They also contain ayurvedic knowledge on food and specific political phrases.
“Langar thalis are usually steel, a langar thali is one of the most recognised utensils in the Sikh religion but used all of India and other parts of South Asia. It is a plate which has five to six compartments which look like bowls. It is designed with enough compartments to serve an entire meal composed of several dishes in a single plate. They are used at the Sikh Temple (Gurdwara) to serve Guru Ka Langar. A langar thali is the ideal choice due to its compact nature and ability to hold an entire meal.
The steel used to form these plates is of premium quality and comes with a lifelong guarantee, thus ensuring durability. As a child, my mother would often use Thalis to serve meals, I had a small version with three compartments, one for my roti, one for my Sabji (vegetables) or Dhaal and the final compartment for my Dahi (yoghurt). I have fond memories of eating Sunday morning Paratha in my tray.”
Roo has worked with BMAG, New Art Gallery Walsall, Niru Ratnam, The Bluecoat, Tate Liverpool, GLOAM, Primary and internationally in Spain and Canada. Roo has work in permanent collections including Arts Council Collection. Roo is the recipient of the Tate Liverpool award for her socially engaged work in 2020, Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2024 and a Serpentine Award.
