Challenging taboos

Monday, May 13, 1996

By Kathleen Rhames

Daily Bruin Contributor

sian men don’t have small penises. There are photos to prove it.
All you have to do is visit the Kerckhoff Art Gallery and all of
your long-harbored stereotypes will vanish with a double take and a
gasp. Male and female genitalia adorn these walls with proud
candor. There’s even a photograph of an erect male penis propped
proudly behind a magnifying glass for viewing pleasure.

Yet the intent of the exhibit is not to shock.

For The Asian Pacific Coalition, it’s about breaking
stereotypes. This year’s art show, appropriately named "Genitalia:
Politics of Sexuality," is making a statement about Asian sexuality
in some very bold ways.

"A lot of times you don’t associate Asians with sex," says
Coalition member Shirley Huang. "We’re trying to show people that
this is something that we’re comfortable with and this is how we
see ourselves. Hopefully this is how others can view us ­ just
like everyone else."

The artwork itself is a conglomeration of style ranging from
paintings and watercolors to photographs and sculptures. The
somewhat explicit nature of the pieces reflect the artists’
individual attempt to break away from the traditional stereotypes
of the Asian American. Whether they be male or female, these
students aren’t afraid to put sex in people’s faces and make a
statement.

Steven Wong, a sixth-year art student who likes to refer to
himself as a "super-duper senior" is one of the artists responsible
for some of the show’s most striking pieces. He credits the
Coalition with taking a risk, stating that Asian Americans need to
resolve issues about their sexuality that are so often
misinterpreted by society.

"This art exhibit’s a great venue for me to actually express
some of these issues that I’ve been struggling with as an artist,"
he says. "Asian Pacific Islander sexuality is, I think, a hot topic
that everyone is discussing and there’s a lot of stereotypes and
issues that haven’t been resolved. There’s the image of the
emasculated male, that all Asians have small penises, that we’re
all robots with no emotions or feelings and that all Asians are
lousy in bed."

One of the art pieces Wong created especially for the exhibit is
a canvas painting entitled "Post Fu Manchu Tic Tac." The piece, he
explains, is a metaphor for the stereotypical small penis that
Asian men are presumed to have. The subject is a male penis,
painted with acrylic and charcoal and accompanied by the phrase:
"This ain’t no tic tac" at the bottom of the canvas. These words
are a take off of the title, "Post Fu Manchu Tic Tac," as it
references certain aspects of Asian American history. During the
late 1800s, Chinese immigrants were labeled with stereotypes, such
as being sex animals, out to rape white women. The time that has
elapsed since then is called Post Fu Manchu, and Wong associates
this new era with a new set of stereotypes which are demonstrated
throughout his artwork. In the case of "Post Fu Manchu Tic Tac,"
however, Wong hesitated over just how bold he should be.

"I actually had a hard time doing the ‘Tic Tac’ piece because I
had to negotiate a lot of things," he says. "I didn’t want to
perpetuate the students’ side and just draw a small penis. I wanted
to go beyond that. I wanted to bring in some Asian American history
and add that to the discussion by titling it Post Fu Manchu. In the
end I negotiated and drew a moderate size penis. I didn’t
exaggerate it and I didn’t shrink it down."

Wong feels his work is not meant to be shocking but more
conceptual. He asks people to look for the meaning in his work and
not just focus on what it looks like. He further denies having felt
any qualms participating in the exhibit.

"I felt no inhibitions at all," he says. "I mean it’s all
natural, it’s all good. I shouldn’t have to feel ashamed that I
just drew a picture of genitalia."

Wong’s attitude is one taken by the several artists
participating in this week’s art exhibit. Their work is moderated
by a student-run committee that oversees Coalition events. Two of
these committee members, Shirley Huang and Jeannie Mun, agree that
the potency of the exhibit stems from having no censoring board to
answer to. The Asian Pacific Coalition is completely student run
and as a result, all decisions are made by the artists
themselves.

"Some of the students that we’ve talked to were told they
couldn’t put on some of their shows because it was too graphic or
it didn’t stick with what they considered ‘traditional’ art," Huang
says. "But we’re basically self-run and have the authority to do
whatever we think is right."

This authority has allowed the Coalition to portray their
graphic rejection of Asian American sex stereotypes with a sense of
pride and determination.

"We’re trying to show that Asians do have a sexuality and a sex
life," says Mun. "It’s getting past the whole image of the nerdy,
quiet and submissive individual. It’s time to say wake up! This is
real, this is now."

Huang agrees with Mun and believes that, if anything, the art
exhibit promises to be direct and in your face.

"We know we have some pretty explicit submissions. Our hope is
that people will be open-minded and come and see the show."

ART: "Genitalia: Politics of Sexuality" at the Kerckhoff Art
Gallery through May 24. Reception Monday, May 13 at 8:00 p.m. in
the art gallery. For more info call 825-6564.

Shue-Pin Sun’s untitled ­ ceramic.

Artist Steven Wong and his painting "Post Fu Manchu Tic Tac"
(charcoal, acrylic on canvas).

Crx Chai’s "Look Ma, No Hands"

Shue-Pin Sun’s untitled ­ painting

Jene Lacson’s "Blue Jene’s Man"

The Asian Pacific Coalition’s new exhibit at the Kerckhoff Art
Gallery boldly attempts to break stereotypes about Asian
sexuality