Artist Statement

The bowl-shape was inspired after seeing ‘Singaporean Fried Noodles’ on a Chinese takeaway menu. I use its form to reference exoticism, a Western cultural phenomenon where constructed perspectives of the East are entrenched in conventions and belief systems of the West. Its repetition signifies the commodification of cultures without truly understanding the traditions behind them, which I sense living in Australia as a Chinese immigrant. A satirical commentary on generalisations of Asian culture is conveyed through appropriated Asian pop images such as those by Takashi Murakami (b.1962) and Hokusai (1760–1849), who reflect ‘old and new’ traditions of hybrid exchanges between East and West.

Artwork Process

Asian-N Bowl began unknowingly, by creating my own Mr. DOB character in a conversation with Takashi Murakami. However, this evolved to appropriations of other cultural media such as Kano Sansetsu’s Old Plum 1646 and the ‘Calabash Brothers’. My own abstract gouache paintings were scanned and digitally collaged with selected pop culture images as a pastiche of Eastern and Western aesthetics. Each image was layered and transformed in Photoshop (scaling, filtering and blend modes) to finally become façade segments that examine hybridity. The work was refined by cutting the shape of the iconic noodle bowl from paper to frame and unify the image.

About the Artist

Name: Yi Han
School: Queensland Academies Creative Industries Campus
Artwork: Asia-N Bowl
Media: Digital prints and collage on paper

I hope to study Psychology and Education after graduating from high school. My Chinese heritage is integral to my artistic development, as I aspire to continue the art style of Chinoserie in my practice. I often find inspirations online, particularly through Instagram and Zhihu — a Chinese forum where I search for ‘Artist Recommendations’. I suppose it is a weird habit of mine — to rely on others’ artist recommendations, as I somehow find those artists more appealing than when I research for artists myself.