Immemorial
Chan contemporary art space, group exhibition
Ming the Merciless, digital print on vinyl, acrylic, wallpaper, dimensions variable.
Immemorial exhibition, Jogyakarta 2009
Ming the Merciless, digital print on vinyl, acrylic, wallpaper, paper objects, Immemorial exhibition, Chan contemporary Art Space, Darwin
Ming the Merciless installation detail
Ming the Merciless, digital print on vinyl, acrylic, paper objects, 800mm x 800mm, 2009, 2011
Since the 1800’s, poular culture has satirised asian culture and the fear of Asians invading and stealing our countries. Ming the Merciless was the supreme Emperor of the planet Mongo and the main villian in Flash Gordon, 1929. Flash’s nemesis is a “yellow peril” stereotype. Despite being an alien, he is portrayed as a vindictive and inscrutable tyrant with an affection for ornate finery and a lecherous eye for (white) Earth women.
These racial stereotypes influences generations and maintain the effects of the White Australian Policy. My Chinese father was a migrant and encountered displacement and racial tension. He also hated the Japanese race because of his own personal injustice of invasion and war. This work speaks of identity, migration, displacement and the clandestine similarities of my multicultural heritage.