yellow peril

This body of work explores a deeply felt sense of fear, anger and internal conflict within one Asian-Australian born in Australia.  Conceived during the Victorian  Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, this emotional exploration comes from the racism that the Australian media has helped fuel in the constant factual and hypothetical reporting of the Chinese governments inaction and action. Racism that the American President has fuelled through his ignorance and incompetence. Racism that targets ‘Chinese’ people - or to be more specific people who look asian.  Both the media and political leaders have developed and cultivated a bias, a tension, an ignorant attitude that deems Asian people as some form of Yellow Peril. 

As a Vietnamese - Australian this has triggered the memory of past  racist events, hardships and prejudices that I fear will take place again. Prejudice society thinks I should endure and tolerate because it isn’t about ‘me’.  Prejudice that does harm.
This body of work illustrates elements of the prejudice, exclusion and hypocrisy felt in both past and recent times. As you look upon the work, I ask you to consider a time you were wrongly judged or excluded. What was your response? Did you grow from the experience or did it hinder you?