Passing uses a video montage of cultural
references; from the archival to the contemporary, taken from anthropology, popular culture and
the sciences, in an attempt to deconstruct and demystify the processes of constructing and
solidifying cultural boundaries.
"Passing is a 3 screen
sound and video work, funded by the Arts Council of England. It concentrates on the
representation of cultures, the construction of rigid boundaries and fixed categories. In
particular, the focus is on the definition and construction, "Chinese", its historical
transformation and the role of the media in perpetrating these boundaries. Process and form are
as important to me as subject matter, and as such, this piece is also an exploration of
non-linear, non-narrative forms of construction and how this results or does not result in
meaning. It is a piece that looks at and is critical of mainstream media mechanisms, as much and
it is an exploration of alternative uses of electronic imaging."
"Although my work often uses the notion "Chinese" as a focus, it is not my
intention to 'introduce' or 'explain' a culture, ethnicity or nation. Neither am I trying to
re-present an image that can be confidently consumed as authentic and representational, which
too often gives rise to a legitimised voyeurism. Through a refusal to accept an explicative or
totalizing role, and via the suspension of meaning and resistance to closure, I hope to
question, explore and problematise representation itself, not provide new or more 'correct'
classificatory systems."
Artist quote from Sites of
Construction catalogue, 1995.
Three screen video work. Funded by the Arts Council of
England.
Joint Winner of Towner
Open 1995.
Shown in Half
the Sky, Contemporary Chinese Women Artists, Museum of London
1997
Stills from Passing
