Cultural Reclamation & Reappropriation
The following artists spark dialogue about harmful stereotypes and cultural assumptions to spread awareness and promote change.
Annika Cheng
This body of work explores issues faced by the Sino-diaspora through the recreation and re-contextualization of traditional garments, objects and practices. These works question the ways in which Chinese culture has been appropriated, colonized and Orientalized by a Western gaze. By making these objects out of fiber, a material that is soft and pliable, I am directly contradicting the conception that Chinese culture is something ancient and stagnant. For audience members of non-Chinese descent, these works interrogate the ways in which they perceive and consume Chinese culture. For those of Chinese descent, these works question how the diaspora can reappropriate symbols of culture and what the future of Chinese-American culture can look like.
Annika Cheng is an interdisciplinary artist and activist from Queens, NYC. She is currently studying at MICA as a fiber major with minors in art history, illustration and experimental fashion.
Learn More about Annika Cheng
Kiddo Pan
Moth on Fire is a 3D animated rap music video. An ordinary moth wants to go through fire in order to prove its bravery and strength and to be respected by others. But soon it finds out that this so-called heroism is deadly and a conspiracy of the powerful. This is a story about seeking the truth against the misleading media propaganda.
Based in Baltimore, Maryland, Kiddo Pan is an illustrator and street artist. Kiddo grew up in beautiful Inner Mongolia, China and is heavily influenced by street culture. Kiddo’s practice derives from nature, the street, and everything in between. Kiddo uses traditional and experimental tools to tell the stories of the underrepresented people we need to shed light on.