las poroteras

Las Poroteras 

88 hand-painted porcelain rice cups. paint, organza bags y various beans

4” x 1.75” 

2025

Proposal: To display each cup on its own pedestal, all together.
There are 8 themes of Panamanian landscapes, flora, and fauna.

In my home, daily dinners were a vibrant blend of Chinese and Panamanian cuisine, with dishes meticulously prepared by my mother for a large family. Each meal offered a symphony of flavors served on large platters, with meats and vegetables cut into pieces easy to grasp with chopsticks. However, when it came to rice, picking up each grain with chopsticks proved impractical. That is where the round rice cup became invaluable.

In Chinese numerology, the number 88 evokes double happiness. The cups, painted in blue and white in the style of the Ming dynasty, incorporate tropical scenes from my childhood in Aguadulce, a town near the sea, surrounded by jungle and palm trees. Each one displays eight distinct motifs: flowers, birds, butterflies, fish, fruits, roosters, landscapes of the Panamanian countryside, and the islands of San Blas. Filled with colorful beans, they symbolize the fertility of Panamanian soil and the strength of the women who cultivate it. The beans, placed in small white organza bags, become a gift: a gesture from Panama to the world.