Oil on Canvas
Framed
2024
Alvin Quah is a media personality and television chef best known as a two-time MasterChef Australia finalist. He also holds a PhD in the cellular biology of diabetic retinopathy, with post doctorate studies in motor neurone disease. My painting portrays Alvin domestically, away from his media persona. But at home there's no separation between the chef and the scientist. His "Smoked Bacon Jam" is a culinary and scientific creation that represents both his love of cooking and experimentation. Alvin's white shirt reflects both his chef's whites and his lab coat. He wears the shirt opened to his waist exposing his boyish vulnerability, echoing Caravaggio's "Boy Peeling Fruit". Alvin's finger is bandaged as it was at our first sitting. He told me that most cooking contestants need to wear at least one bandage during their television journey … with some continuing the tradition long after.
Please note: This painting is framed with a custom Blackwood frame.