Chopping, folding, eating: Mon Jajaja’s illustrations show the joy that food brings to our lives

Using observational sketchbook drawings to inspire her final pieces, this illustrator’s work reveals the “aesthetic potential in everyday life”.

Date
23 July 2024

Buying groceries, cracking eggs, washing tomatoes, rolling dough or demolishing a bowl of poke: the illustrator Shimeng Jiang – who goes by the artist moniker Mon Jajaja – shows everything that goes into making (and eating) a delicious meal. Keeping things “minimal and simple”, Mon Jajaja aims to present the “aesthetic potential of everyday life”, and the menial tasks and moments that come with it.

Using her sketchbook full of observational drawings to inform her final pieces, she uses a mix of media to capture each scene and foodstuff, a sketchy pencil-lined grocery store, buns made round and plump with gouache, or a juicy tomato, bright red with pastel. Recently, she had a series of works exhibited at Gastronomia Yamamoto in Milan, all demonstrating the links between Chinese and Japanese food.

Mon Jajaja cites the artist Marion Jdanoff as a key influence on her work, especially her use of “vibrant colours and dynamic compositions”. However, she doesn’t only source inspiration from the world of visual art. The author Haruki Murakami’s novels have provided much inspiration for the sensibility of her works, she says: “Their rich exploration of solitude and details of the inner lives of his characters, encourages me to infuse my work with depth and emotional resonance.”

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Shimeng Jiang: Poke Bowl (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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Shimeng Jiang: Egg and Tomato 3 (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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Shimeng Jiang: Egg and Tomato 3 (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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Shimeng Jiang: A deep fried shop run by women (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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Shimeng Jiang: Making Green Buns (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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Shimeng Jiang: Morning People (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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Shimeng Jiang: Shopping for Oyster (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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Shimeng Jiang: New Pot (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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Shimeng Jiang: New Pot (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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Shimeng Jiang: Chef (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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Shimeng Jiang: Summer breeze (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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Shimeng Jiang: The End of the World (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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Shimeng Jiang: Baijiu (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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Shimeng Jiang: The Dough Man (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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Shimeng Jiang: Egg and Tomato 3 (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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Shimeng Jiang: Egg and Tomato 3 (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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Shimeng Jiang: Egg and Tomato 3 (Copyright © Shimeng Jiang, 2024)

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About the Author

Olivia Hingley

Olivia (she/her) is associate editor of the website, working across editorial projects and features as well as Nicer Tuesdays events. She joined the It’s Nice That team in 2021. Feel free to get in touch with any stories, ideas or pitches.

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