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Kar Mun Kwang
Yellow Fever: Self-Portrait of a modern Asian Woman in the Western World
Oil on canvas
Raised in Australia, I have little to no ties in Malaysia except for my memories of the food and the colour of skin. I’m a ‘minority’ in every sense, through my race, gender, sexuality and even my previous work as another invisible face in the hospitality trade. So I am naturally drawn to producing narrative pieces about the outsiders, the misunderstood and the outcasts.
This self-portrait is a reflection of how western society often sees me: a fetishsized showpiece to emanate a culture I barely know, creating an underlying uneasiness. I look the part, but something isn’t quite ‘right’: my shoulders are too broad, arms covered in burns and scars from working in male dominated kitchens. I’m too bold, too loud, ultimately creating an ‘uncanny valley’ of my own race.
Size: 40 × 50 cm
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About Kar Mun Kwang
Raised in Australia, I have little to no ties in Malaysia except for my memories of the food and the colour of skin. I’m a ‘minority’ in every sense, through my race, gender, sexuality and even my previous work as another invisible face in the hospitality trade. So I am naturally drawn to producing narrative pieces about the outsiders, the misunderstood and the outcasts. I attempt to depict the quiet uneasiness of life through a mix of surrealism, fantasy illustrations and figurative paintings that capture moments of vulnerability and solitude.