Challenging the media’s portrayal of Asian women
- Text by Cristiana Bedei

Challenging the expectations at the intersection of race, gender and sexuality, Disobedient Daughters is an all-female group exhibition opening this week at Metro Arts, in Brisbane. The show, which runs until April 21, aims to defy the stereotypes still dominating the (mis)representation of Asian women in mainstream media.
Chinese-born Australian curator Sophia Cai has put together the works of nine artists and collectives, in an attempt to break the cultural mould that typically fetishises and exoticises Asian women as overly submissive or sexualised visual tropes.
“The show was partly inspired by my own experience growing up as a migrant in Australia, as well as what I saw around me in popular media,” she tells Huck. “In a selfish way, I curate exhibitions I wish I could see. In the case of Disobedient Daughters, there is certainly a personal motivation in putting together a show that addresses systemic racism and sexism.”

Mihyun Kang
There is no singular cultural or gender identity, as Cai puts it, and the range of works – mostly portraits and self-portraits, across video and photography – and perspectives she is bringing together is a powerful reflection of that. Artists like Pixy Liao, Zoe Wong and Ma Qiusha push the boundaries of the Asian female experience and blur the line between private and public narratives, personal and collective experiences.
Miyun Kang’s series You are not speaking, but I am listening touches on the themes of identity and isolation, featuring photographs of immigrant Asian women in New York City, as they kneel down in a traditional position of reverence and respect, in different locations across the city. In her Para-Selves self-portraits, artist Gwan Tung Dorothy Lau literally doubles up into multiple passive and aggressive versions of herself, manifesting the struggle to reconcile one’s heritage and independent self.

Must be Beauty by Ma Quisha
“I think art plays a really important role in provoking dialogue around topical issues. While I don’t believe art can change the world on its own, I do believe that art has the power to instigate and empower critique,” says Cai. But she admits: “Like any other industry, the art world is fallible to its own biases and hierarchy, particularly around topics of representation and visibility.”
Cai argues that major arts institutions in Australia often fail to champion the diverse social fabric of the country, which has a large migrant population as well as a long continuous history of Indigenous culture. “I hope that exhibitions such as this can go some way in addressing these imbalances,” she adds.

Janelle Low

Dorothy Lau

Sad Asian Girls

Sancintya Mohini Simpson
Disobedient Daughters opens at Metro Arts in Brisbane, Australia, on April 4 and will be running until April 21.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims
Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.
Written by: Hannah Bentley

Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification
Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.
Written by: Isaac Muk

New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture
Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.
Written by: Isaac Muk

Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South
Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.
Written by: Miss Rosen

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind
Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.
Written by: Emma Garland

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”
Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.
Written by: Katie Goh