One of the most pervasive stereotypes of Asian women throughout the history of Western media is that of an exotic, submissive, docile figure that takes form in the temptress that exists only in relation to their white male counterparts. These stereotypes of subservience reflect a longstanding history of anti-Asian racism in the US as well as the legacy of US imperialism in many South Asian countries. All this has carried into the present, where these stereotypes manifest under a new name, "yellow fever"—a fetishized, exoticized attraction to Asian women for their race.

How does one navigate this dynamic when the existence of one's body is in contention with the space it occupies? I explore the presence of the Asian female body through stills that suspend flitting moments in an eternally static space. Engulfed in moments of bright light and stifling shadow, the figures remain faceless but control the presence and absence of their bodies, where the viewer sees and where the viewer imagines. Such is a reclamation of their visibility in front of the watchful viewer. In "Girl Five," the viewer finally meets the unhidden subject, reconciling the body with the identity of the figure.





Girls (Girl 1, Girl 2, Girl 3, Girl 4, Girl 5)
Colored Pencil on Black Paper, 11 x 14”