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Description
Years and years ago I sat in front of a big box tv. You know, the kind that people turn fish tanks into now. I was watching The King of Masks. I was probably 8 or 9. I was mesmerized by the mystery, enthralled by all of the pretty things. Most importantly, the heaviness of the story. A culture only viewed through the eyes of nostalgia, perhaps a caricature of reality. As an artist who is motivated by diversity, I am cognizant of how such things in illustration can be viewed as Orientalism. I have a weakness for it, but I approach it with the best of intentions. After 10 years of studying Mandarin Chinese I would like to believe my understanding is more broad, but while drawing this I realized that I was imagining something that can never exist in anyone's reality but my own. Perhaps this is a caricature of my love for China, but even if none of it exists, it brings me joy. And though perhaps Americans may see Orientalism, I count myself lucky that my Chinese friends see no issues in it. Perhaps you, the viewer can identify with this problem. How can we draw fantasy while remaining ethical in our practice, our message to our audience?

Description
Years and years ago I sat in front of a big box tv. You know, the kind that people turn fish tanks into now. I was watching The King of Masks. I was probably 8 or 9. I was mesmerized by the mystery, enthralled by all of the pretty things. Most importantly, the heaviness of the story. A culture only viewed through the eyes of nostalgia, perhaps a caricature of reality. As an artist who is motivated by diversity, I am cognizant of how such things in illustration can be viewed as Orientalism. I have a weakness for it, but I approach it with the best of intentions. After 10 years of studying Mandarin Chinese I would like to believe my understanding is more broad, but while drawing this I realized that I was imagining something that can never exist in anyone's reality but my own. Perhaps this is a caricature of my love for China, but even if none of it exists, it brings me joy. And though perhaps Americans may see Orientalism, I count myself lucky that my Chinese friends see no issues in it. Perhaps you, the viewer can identify with this problem. How can we draw fantasy while remaining ethical in our practice, our message to our audience?