Jamie Ricardo Rodriguez

"Made during the COVID-19 quarantine, this piece is inspired by the history of “Ping Pong Diplomacy,” the exchange of table tennis players between the U.S. and The People’s Republic of China in the early 70s which marked the opening of Sino-American relations. This stands in stark contrast to today, as a new Cold War brews and tensions between the U.S. and China are again escalating. Additionally, the origin of the Coronavirus has been linked to a lab in Wuhan or a bat-to-human transmission in the Wuhan wet markets. Referencing the economic hardships created by COVID-19 and the supermarket shortages of food staples and disinfectants, my work offers ramen noodles, Lysol and ping pong as a playful new narrative. The rats refer to 2020 being “The Year of the Rat” in the Chinese Zodiac. Ironically, the rat symbolizes wealth and the beginning of a new day.