banana

Year: 2023

Dimensions: 70 x 50 x 35 cm

Materials: textiles, stuffing, thread

‘Banana’ is a negative slang used to describe 2nd generation Chinese immigrants in the west. Taking this literally, I created a playful piece to lighten the weight of cultural dysphoria. The essence on which this slang hinges on is rooted in the stereotype of ‘yellow’ Chinese and ‘white’ Westerners. Thus, the banana represents those who are genetically ‘yellow’ on the surface, but have an inner, ‘white’ cultural upbringing.

From the peel of the banana, only the Chinese exterior is seen from the ‘white’ perspective, where the words yellow, banana and foreigner appear. Meanwhile, the inner fruit is observed to be 白 (white), 香蕉 (a banana) and 外国人 (an outsider) to the Chinese. Although I am used to being seen as a foreigner on the surface in the UK, in China I am often still made to feel “ashamed to be a stranger in [their] own culture.” [Kingdom of Characters by Jing Tsu]. But this discredits the efforts of my family to ensure that I grew up embracing the cultures of both.

Shown in:
Young OAS (2023)