A Cup for the City
If only I could send this bowl to someone who loves tea.
無由持一碗，寄與愛茶人 — Bai Juyi, “Brewing Tea at a Mountain Spring” (Tang dynasty)
Historical background
The line is from Bai Juyi’s Tang-dynasty poem “Brewing Tea at a Mountain Spring.” The poem begins with the physical acts of drawing water and watching tea brew, then turns an absent companion into the imagined recipient of a bowl.
Curator’s interpretation
A cup can be small and still make room for a city. The poster connects an old wish to send tea with Edmonton’s distances, neighbourhoods, newcomers, and relationships. Hospitality is not only receiving someone already present; it can also be an act of remembering someone elsewhere.
Artwork note
Uses Yang Hui’s approved mountain landscape as the central image; the features needed to recognize the original work are not cropped away.