Recap: On Becoming, an Exhibition Presented by Proud Asian Women on View at Avenue 50 Studio

Introduction & Photos Julian Lucas

The Exhibition “On Becoming”, presented by Proud Asian Women+ explores prejudices and discrimination and increased violence towards Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, especially women. Through multidisciplinary artistic focus, each artist draws in the viewer to challenge and provide an alternative way we see. The included exhibition consisted of, photographic studies, sculpture-textile, mixed media, poetry. The exhibit is on view at Avenue 50 Studio in Highland Park. On Becoming runs through June 12th, 2021.

ABOUT
“All this time I told myself we were born from war—but I was wrong, Ma. We were born from beauty. Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence—but that violence, having passed through the fruit, failed to spoil it.” Ocean Vuong, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

Proud Asian Women+ is honored to present “On Becoming” a multidisciplinary group show exploring the radical acts of simply being seen and becoming free.

A longstanding history of xenophobia in America has kept the voices of Americans from the Asian and Pacific Islander diaspora pushed to the margins. Racist tropes and narrow representation have shaped the American consciousness and the psyches of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) women. The hateful and scapegoating rhetoric of the past four years under the Trump administration stoked a 150% increase in hate crimes against Asian-Americans, which led up to the racially motivated mass murder of six Asian women by a white supremacist on March 16, 2021. AAPI women have one of the highest depression and suicide rates of all racial ethnic groups in the US and yet are 3x less likey to seek help than white Americans. Despite this lack of representation, Americans from the Asian and Pacific Islander diaspora have continued to break through harmful stereotypes and defy old assumptions of agency.

“On Becoming ” is a 4-week exhibition coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Month, Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and LGBTQ Pride Month. We asked artists to examine our occupation of liminal spaces, in which we are invisibilized or subject to the white gaze or male gaze, and what it means to become free – mentally, physically, and spiritually. The show challenges viewers to see us in all of our complexity and stand in solidarity with us until we all get free…together..

Proud Asian Women+ is a community-based collective that supports Asian-American creative expression as forms of radical healing, advocacy, and joy.

Julian Lucas, is fine art photographer, photojournalist, and creative strategist. Julian also works as a housing specialist which, includes linking homeless veterans to housing. Julian has lived in Chicago, Inglewood, Portland, and the suburbs of Los Angeles County including Pomona.

Progress Gallery Presents: Connecting Perspectives Recap

Text and Photos Julian Lucas

This past weekend four artists participated in “Connecting Perspectives”, curated by Momo (Yuntong) Wu, held at Progress Gallery in conjunction with Sasse Museum, in the city of Pomona.

Artists, Alex Jansen, Brandon Monkwood, Brandon Monkwood, Evelyn Hang Yin, and Lisa Sega incorporated their theories of artistic practice, which included sculpture, drawing, poetry, reading, photography, and furniture and instrument making were among the works on display in diverse forms, highlighting the relationship between specific disciplines.

According to the press release, the works of art have been consolidated in various analyses and approaches, and that the artwork challenges the concept of the art limit. This exhibition investigates the conventional expectations of fine art as well as the importance of formal education. Artists possess multidisciplinary perspectives which demonstrate the relationship between extensive research and practice, as well as the scope, breadth, and diversity of art.

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Kendall Ke Sun turns the Story of the Past Into Art: Pathetique

Silent on Chinese Paper Water and Ink

Text by Julian Lucas

We are finally coming to a point where businesses are opening again and museums are opening at a minimum capacity. Before then most exhibitions and talks about art were and still may be virtual through Zoom. But as galleries open, I along with other impatient artists, collectors, and art enthusiasts are feeling a sense of ease.

Kendall Ke Sun is a luminary artist who produces works of art that are profoundly steeped in history and inspired by social theory. His works encompass a combination of Chinese ink, acrylic, and Chinese paper, which gives depth. 

Titled Pathetique, exhibited at the Progress Gallery, features works that were largely created in 2010, which includes 81 pieces that took three months to complete. Viewing the exhibition virtually doesn’t begin to convey the way the scale and texture illuminate with the light. 

Kendall engages the history of China as well as his own personal expression in this set of works that unfurl with magnificent bold broad strokes, he is able to intertwine the language of abstract art with the legacy of China after the Second World War. A Chinese army squad decided ethically to push the enemy forces up a plateau to assist its leaders and protect the local population, which led to a canyon. They battled to the last second, with at the end just five soldiers surviving, which wasn't in defeat. 

From his artist statement, Kendall notes, “This could be a very emotional and dramatic moment, encompassing everything and everyone. The faith for life and the fate of mortal man are intertwined in an instant… All of this can only be faced alone; hence, many of the characters in this series of pictures, are represented by only one figure. In the process of completing these works, I pushed this emotion to its limit, where I found deeper inside of me, hopefully, it could also enlighten the viewer”.

Kendall Sun was born in China and graduated with MFA from LuXun Academy of Fine Art in China. Mr. Sun lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.

Pathetique is on display at the Progress Gallery Located at 300 S. Thomas Street Pomona, CA until the 29th of March 2021.

Julian Lucas, is fine art photographer, photojournalist, and creative strategist. Julian also works as a housing specialist which, includes linking homeless veterans to housing. Julian has lived in Chicago, Inglewood, Portland, and the suburbs of Los Angeles County including Pomona.

POSING NUDE FOR ME IS NO DIFFERENT FROM POSING CLOTHED

By Julian Lucas

Can you imagine yourself sitting in the nude with someone staring at you for hours? If you consider a Life Drawing class, the average time a model poses is at least 3 hours with 5-10 minute poses. This would mean you are constantly moving around attempting to help art students achieve a certain goal by staring at each puzzling sequence of lines, curves, and shapes. Nudity may be sexualized for many, but for a nude art model, the idea of being undressed is just a part of the job.

The nude body has intrigued artists of all cultures since ancient times. As illustrated by works from ancient cultures, especially the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, sculptors, painters, and illustrators competed to celebrate and portray the body in its original form. On the carved walls of caves and prehistoric sculptures, primitive depictions of the nude human body can also be found. The guardians of our morality have ensured that the art form enables amateurs to comprehend human anatomy and the play of shadow and light.

Hippolyte Bayard made it possible to create photographs in 1839. He photographed a self-portrait a year later, entitled The Drowning, taken in 1840, making him the first to take a photograph of his own nude body.

© Self-Portrait as a Drowned Man, Hippolyte Bayard 1840

Pictorialism represented a crucial role in the development of photography between 1890 and 1914: the birth of this activism was born from the word picture with the idea of introducing photography to the visual arts. The development of new, smaller, and simplified cameras around 1880 put the scope of conditions by Daguerre within the reach of a large audience of amateurs.

"A self-taught photographer from rural Ohio, Clarence H. White (1871-1925) first became famous for his delicate, idealized images of rural family life. A charter member of the Photo-Secession in 1902, he was a frequent contributor to Camera Work and, after 1906, when he moved to New York, a member of Alfred Stieglitz's inner circle. Source

Torso, 1907 © Clarence H. White and Alfred Stieglitz

Radical changes in societal attitudes were seen in the first decades of the twentieth century. The reasons for that are diverse. Medical breakthroughs, WWI, fashion and dance evolution, illustrated magazine expansion and advertising... The combination of these developments in technology and culture has helped photographers to think differently about their approach to the human body.

Taboos and controversy
The photographic medium is somewhat different to other art forms in terms of its realistic approach and it really did change the landscape of nudity in art. When the camera became affordable for the masses around 1900 new ideas were allowed to take shape. Proving that the camera is an excellent tool for documenting society some photographers turned their lenses on people’s most private moments, forcing taboos into daylight to provoke discussion. Nan Goldin and Sally Mann are two photographers that developed an intimate language with photography that was never seen before. Nan Goldin’s snapshots draw attention to the shadows of the western drug and sex culture, and the abusive relationships (sometimes her own) that follow. Sally Mann’s personal photography created controversy in other ways by portraying moments of her children growing up with an unsettling intimacy.

- Elisabeth Hoiberg

Figure Study Julian Lucas 1999

THE PRESENT-DAY
Fast forward to today, photographing the nude has taken on many different aspects. Instead of the art model being seen as a subject or study art models have become just as important as the photographer. This shift most likely began because of the internet era around the early 2000s. Online platforms made accessibility very easy to connect amateur models and photographers to connect to create photographic imagery. Online platforms and marketing also transformed the “amateur model”, into the full-time art model who is paid to travel around the world to pose for artistic and commercial photographers as well as conventional artists.

Kira, better known as Floofie has been posing nude and modeling for almost two decades. She began her modeling career at 19 years of age while attending college. She has traveled all over the US and has traveled to many countries working for various photographers as well as artists.

Did you begin posing nude at the start of your modeling career?  What influenced you to model nude? 

I didn’t pose nude at first, I was nervous and knew that was a decision there was no turning back on. But I come from a family where nudity was not considered taboo and was in school for art. I remember asking the forums on ModelMayhem if I should model nude - naturally, they said YES! So around two years later, I decided to drop the proverbial robe and pose nude. I haven’t thought twice about it since that day!

Do you remember your first nude shoot? What was it like? Meaning your feelings thoughts what was going through your mind? Did you feel awkward? 

I remember it as clearly as yesterday; the photographer and I walked out to a Sauvie Island beach where I posed near a makeshift beach hut. It was a perfectly warm day, and although I had demanded that the entire shoot be “implied nudity” only, I remember feeling so comfortable in my skin that I knew I had taken the right step. Posing nude for me is no different from posing clothed.

Courtesy of Floofie, Dave Aharonian, Vancouver, BC.

Did you start modeling posing in art classes or did you begin with photographers? Which do you like more being in a classroom or in a more intimate setting? 

I started as a photographer’s model on model mayhem after getting started with a friend I met on MySpace. I really enjoy the dynamic aspect of photo modeling since I’m an active person who loves to express emotion visually. I love the one-on-one collaboration, especially being an introvert. However, there is also something really special about playing muse to a room full of artists! So it’s hard for me to choose.


When did you begin noticing that you could model full time?  Was there ever a time you did TFP (Trade for Prints)?

As a model, I “did my time,” spending two years doing almost entirely TFP work in order to gain experience and a strong portfolio. As soon as I began to pose nude and make money, I realized this could be at least a part-time job. Then, when I graduated college I realized there were other models traveling the world doing this, and I happily joined their ranks around 2008.

Would you consider yourself a feminist? What has been your response to being shamed for posing nude? Has any conservative women who also considered themselves feminist ever shamed you for posing nude? What wave of feminism would you say you may be conflicted with? 

Yes, I would consider myself an intersectional feminist. I minored in women’s studies, and honestly, it seems like the word “feminist” is even more fraught these days, in some ways. I have a hard time identifying with first and second-wave feminism even though I studied it. Any type of feminism that doesn’t include the struggles of race and class is not for me. Even other leftists sometimes think white feminists like me are all washed up, racist, or outdated. My response to being shamed for anything is typically to roll my eyes and ignore it. I don’t care to engage with people who might tear me down. I have strong convictions when it comes to art, and I don’t worry about preconceived morality. Luckily it hasn’t happened often directly to me.

Courtesy of Floofie, David K., Salt Flats, UT

Can you share some of your favorite countries and cities within the states you have traveled abroad as an art model?

My favorite cities are:
Lyon, France - for its food, architecture/history, natural beauty and friendliness
Bruges, Belgium - for its history, architecture, and magic
Tokyo, Japan - For its amazing variety of experiences, delicious food, and just everything
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - For its friendliness, cultural melting pot, and food.
Edinburgh, Scotland - For its architecture, friendliness, natural beauty.
San Diego, CA - For its natural beauty, chill vibe, weather, and food.
Vancouver, BC - For its friendliness, natural beauty, and cultural melting pot.
New Orleans - For its culture, food, natural beauty, architecture and history.

Would you say consider the modeling world inclusive to women of color? How many photographers besides me have you modeled for that were Black? Would you consider the nude photography world inclusive? 

There is no industry that racism hasn’t touched. Something as wrapped up in hierarchical aesthetics as model photography? You can bet your ass it’s not inclusive. My BIPOC colleagues are often asked to pose for lower rates, get snubbed for white models, and are more often asked to do fetishizing or objectifying work. In my over fifteen years of modeling, I have probably only worked with around twenty Black photographers, and they were all men.

Being that you have travelled all over the globe, have you experienced any form of discrimination by photographers or other models while touring to different regions of the world? 

As a slender white, feminine model, I haven’t really encountered much discrimination at all. I haven’t tried to model nude in Japan, yet!!! I wonder how it would go. I also haven’t been anywhere in central or South America.

Courtesy of Floofie, Harold Davis, Paris, FR

Has there been an artist/photographer that crossed the line of becoming disrespectful? How did you handle that situation? 

That line has been crossed memorably three times. I never handled it very well, but each time I was firm with my words, saying “no” and moving away when the person tried to reach for me. Since then, I have decided that always having a safe escape route is key. Asking for references helps too!

Floofie Julian Lucas Los Angeles, 2015

What would you say to someone regardless of gender that would like to get into the art modeling world? 

The best advice I can give is that modeling won’t make you more confident. It will expose every flaw and insecurity and if you don’t work on your self-love before starting up nude modeling, you will end up even more insecure than before. Also, always check references!!!

---

References
https://www.alamy.com/blog/evolution-of-nude-photography

Julian Lucas, is a fine art photographer, photojournalist, and creative strategist. Julian also works as a housing specialist which, includes linking homeless veterans to housing. Julian has lived in Chicago, Inglewood, Portland, and the suburbs of Los Angeles County including Pomona.

Remembering Ren Hang 任航 03-30-87 to 02-24-2017

Ren Hang, "Untitled" (2015) Estate of Ren Hang/Blindspot Gallery

Text By Julian Lucas
February 18, 2021 12:49pm PST

This article was Produced by Mirrored Society, A Bookstore on the Arts. The Pomonan is co-publishing this review.

Ren Hang was born in 1987 in North East China’s Jilin. At the young adult age of 20, Ren Hang had been studying advertising but found himself uneasy at his studies. He began using a point-and-shoot camera and taking photos of his friends. “It was because, I was bored of advertising and in specific, I was bored of life.” His work became increasingly noticed, having exhibitions in various cities such as Hong Kong, Athens, Bangkok, New York, Paris,and Los Angeles. Living in Beijing at the time of his death, he was going to turn 30 years old.

Four years has passed since the death of acclaimed art photographer Ren Hang. When visiting Ampersand, an Art Bookstore located in Portland, OR, in 2014. New Love," lying next on the front table in the front window of the storefront, stood out with its not bright white cover enabling the natural color of the nude portrait within nature to pop out of the book. I would often look back about not buying the book at that time after a couple of months had elapsed. The best thing is that I ended up buying the last book in stock.

Ren Hang, "Untitled" (2015) Credit.Estate of Ren Hang/Blindspot Gallery

I had the opportunity attend his first exhibition in Los Angeles and and meet and chat a bit about his work in the summer of 2016. The exhibition entitled. “What We Do is Secret”. Ren Hang intuitively created moments audacious power using the nude in the face of censorship and social restraints. Hang's work, called one of today's most controversial photographers, can be considered freely frank, sensitive, stunning, humorous, and gruesome at the same time. Although the public demeanor of Hang underestimates any political meaning in his work, The carefully focused images of Hang might indicate otherwise. Under China's atmosphere of global, cultural and social upheaval, Hang's vision of contemporary youth serves as a clear argument for freedom of speech under all circumstances. While fortunate enough to meet the quiet and shy photographer Ren Hang. After getting Mr. Hang to open up, we spoke a bit about his poetry not really his practice as a photographer. We ended up having the most amusing conversation about his writings.

Ren Hang will always be remembered as one of the most creative photographers of our time.

Julian Lucas, is fine art and documentary photographer. Julian also works as a housing specialist which, includes linking homeless veterans to housing. Julian has lived in Chicago, Inglewood, Portland, and the suburbs of Los Angeles County including Pomona.