Over the last year as the Coronavirus became more prevalent in Australia, so too did the underlying racism that unfortunately still exists in some individuals. During the early days of the ongoing pandemic, media outlets reported on incidents involving the abuse of Asians by non- Asians, both verbally and physically. This left me feeling anxious, overwhelmed and a little frightened to leave the house.

Although I was born and raised in Sydney and have an unmistakable Australian accent, I still look “Asian” and therefore will always be a target for racism. At times I feel as though my life, along with many other Australian Born Chinese (ABC’s) is a game in which we have very little control over. We must play the part of the model migrant and not stray from the rules for fear of racial backlash.

My artwork, “I’m not racist, but…” explores the themes of casual racism in Australia and the “game”, using the quintessential Chinese game of Mahjong as the premise for my artwork. The three traditional suits, honour, wind, flowers and joker tiles are subverted through the use of imagery that capture the state of intolerance as a result of COVID. Represented on these tiles are symbols and words that reflect the slurs, stereotypes, casual racist remarks and patronising platitudes that COVID has reinvigorated.

Medium: Porcelain, underglaze
Music: Moonshines by LATG Music, Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas