In March of 2020, the first outbreak of the novel Corona Virus appeared in the United States causing mass hysteria and confusion from the American people. Many turned to the news and governmental officials for guidance on how to stay safe during that complicated time of fear. Then-president, Donald Trump, was from the get-go extremely vocal about where he believed the origins of the Virus stemmed from; in response to fear, hatred, and deep xenophobic roots, he began to refer to Covid-19 as “The China Virus”. By calling Covid “The China virus” President Trump conflated the fear and panic people were experiencing due to the virus, with China. This quickly spiraled into people taking that fear out on the Asian American community as a whole due to the ignorant and racist sentiment towards the Chinese American community spearheaded by Donald Trump. This section of the exhibit looks to shed light on the art and innovation by Asian American artists that participated in the Stop Asian Hate movement in light of racist attacks that occurred in America during the pandemic.
This google spreadsheet titled “WE ARE NOT COVID” was started on March 23rd, 2020 by Kenneth Tam an Asian American Artist who works to shape a new perspective on Asian American male masculinity in regards to its current portrayal in American Media. After the pandemic hit, he discovered that many of his Asian American friends and family were experiencing hate in their daily lives ranging from microaggressions to physical violence. In light of hearing about these experiences, he started a google spreadsheet for people to document these incidences in a safe forum. It first circulated throughout his art community and then gained traction on social media. “I had assumed that things like this were going to start happening, but not so quickly, and not to people I knew,” Tam said in a phone interview. “It made me realize that I needed to educate myself and perhaps other people about it.”
This is an art series titled “I Still Believe In Our City” by Neuroscientist and Artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya. This series was created in response to the large spike in hate crimes against Asian Americans across the country and specifically New York. “My goal with this art series was to turn these hurts into something beautiful and powerful,” Phingbodhipakkiya told the New York Times. The series was commissioned by the city and was on view throughout the Barclay Center/Atlantic Avenue subway station in Brooklyn from November 2nd through December 2nd of 2020. It included 45 pieces all with beautiful portraits including sayings in reference to the Stop Asian Hate movement and flowers that have a symbolic meaning in East Asian cultures. After December 2nd the portraits were moved to different bus stations and city kiosks throughout New York City.
This video essay by Thai-American artist, Astria Suparak, touches on inclusivity and how Asian Culture is portrayed and appropriated in American Media. Suparak uses a multitude of clips from various famous science fiction movies to show how prevalent Asian culture is in the worlds that these directors create for their movies. Yet, they constantly cast white actors to play the main roles in these culturally appropriated films. Suparak was inspired to make this in light of the Stop Asian Hate movement and the rise in violence surrounding Asian Americans. The video looks to call attention to the misuse of Asian culture in American film along with the lack of Asian actors in films that appropriate Asian culture.
Conclusion:
The battle for equality and visibility is still ongoing and while we are still in the midst of the pandemic, hateful rhetoric regarding the Asian-American community is still in existence. However, powerful strides have been made to put an end to this hate. These strides have been sparked by various art and stories being shared on social media as a part of the Stop Asian Hate movement. The more attention brought to these heinous acts of hate, the more the mico-aggressions and acts of violence are noticed. Today, there is still a great deal of work that needs to be done to shut down racist, xenophobic, and intolerant rhetoric. However, the art that has been created during this time has had powerful effects on the world and continues to portray the Asian American experience in a beautifully effective manner, capturing the world’s attention.
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