Liang Luscombe's 'Sweaty Scales' video critiques Asian stereotypes at Sutton Gallery
Liang Luscombe's 30-minute film 'Sweaty Scales' (2019) offers a comedic examination of racial and gender stereotypes set in an unnamed city in the United States. The narrative centers on Oliver, a Caucasian-American man, and Lisa, an Asian-American woman, with Julie introducing them. Oliver's problem with excessive sweating serves as a comedic element while he diverts discussions about Lisa's profession to his 'dragon lady' fantasies. The work alludes to 1930s actress Anna May Wong and the 1960 movie 'The World of Suzie Wong,' highlighting Hollywood's legacy of whitewashing, including Emma Stone's role in 'Aloha' in 2015. This exhibition was displayed at Sutton Gallery in Melbourne from September 7 to October 5, 2019, and appeared in ArtReview Asia's Winter 2019 edition.
Key facts
- Liang Luscombe's video 'Sweaty Scales' was exhibited at Sutton Gallery in Melbourne from September 7 to October 5, 2019
- The 30-minute work critiques racial and gendered stereotypes of Asian women in media
- It features characters Oliver (Caucasian-American) and Lisa (Asian-American) navigating pop culture imagery
- The video references Anna May Wong and the 1960 film 'The World of Suzie Wong'
- Luscombe previously addressed yellowface in 'She inches glass to break' (2018)
- The work highlights Hollywood's history of whitewashing, including Emma Stone's role in 'Aloha' (2015)
- Sex scenes use a puppet instead of an actor to undermine narrative artifice
- The exhibition was reviewed in ArtReview Asia's Winter 2019 issue
Entities
Artists
- Liang Luscombe
- Anna May Wong
- William Holden
- Nancy Kwang
- Mickey Rooney
- Emma Stone
Institutions
- Sutton Gallery
- ArtReview Asia
Locations
- Melbourne
- Australia
- Hong Kong
- US