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RECLAIMING STEREOTYPES WITH NICOLE CHUI
Emroidery artist
Hong Kong born, London-based artist Nicole Chui, combines hand embroidery with photography and illustration to express “hyperbolised emotion”. She says her grandma got her interested in embroidery first: “Learning English smocking from my ah-ma (grandma) was the start of what got me into exploring the techniques of embroidery in general. It was the only time I actively bought books on smocking.”
Due to Nicole's interest in implementing cultural references into her works we had a chat with the artist about cultural misinterpretations and reclamation of stereotypes - scroll down:
STK: How do you think stereotyping contributes to cultural conflicts in today's world?
Nicole: Negative stereotyping definitely does- there’s a lack of intention to learn the culture and it acts as a barrier for people who aren’t aware of the other side.
STK: Stereotyping has a mostly negative connotation right? What do you think is the reason for that?
Nicole: There’a a difference between stereotyping and reclaiming. Like I said before, it’s about the intention behind the person who is amplifying the stereotype through their art/voice/sound and their relationship with the culture they’re talking about.
STK: Regarding your background, is there any positive stereotyping you can think of?
Nicole: For me personally, it’s my reclamation of the negative term “Kong Girls”. The term is a local term coined by Hong Kongers to describe Hong Kong women as materialistic, bitchy, and superficial which causes a lot of sexism. Another great example of reclaiming your own culture is Ada Chen, an Asian American artist and jeweller, please look up her work! I’d much prefer calling it reclaiming your culture rather than "positive stereotyping".
STK: Have you ever felt discriminated resulting from a wrong prejudice of your background?
Nicole: Of course. It’s been implied in the past by certain people that I can’t “lead projects" because they immediately assume I’m too quiet and docile based on my race alone as an asian woman. Incidents like these were a mix of ageism, sexism and racism on a micro level - mind you these were both projected from white women and men.
STK: Can you discuss more about your experience of cultural conflicts (in terms of values and belief systems)? How do you reflect and/or address these in your work?
Nicole: In Hong Kong, It’s normal to be direct and straight to the point when you’re communicating, and it’s not rude at all, Hong Kong is a fast paced place. Whereas in the UK, you’ve got to beat around the bush a little in order to get a point across- if you’re too direct it can be seen as rude. These slight nuances influence the perception people have of what is acceptable behaviour and what “correct” mannerisms are. At the end of the day, they’re both just a habit of their environments and they can exist in harmony- there’s no need to tell one culture they are wrong. I suppose I reflect this in my work by just representing my view and not letting others influence the way that I am. My experiences are things that no one can take away from me, and I represent someone who does not let one country define what they can express.
STK: Despite negative stereotypes, can you think of any other drivers for cultural conflicts in today's world?
Nicole: People just being hateful and pushing unnecessary extremisms— and the mass media. Certain media outlets always push negative narratives through their language and imagery which can be damaging to marginalised communities.
STK: We read your op-ed for The Independent (great piece!!) Could you please discuss the double standards you see in society’s view of immigration, and about how the terms “immigrant” and “expat” carry connotations of certain races and class systems?
Nicole: I think I summed it up pretty well in this part: "Expats are praised for daring to move to a new country, while immigrants feel pressured to get approval from citizens and assimilate for survival. Whether it’s a conscious or subconscious decision, there’s no denying that these terms represent the double standards in society’s view on immigration.” This is the double standard that was often pushed upon me in my own personal experience growing up in Hong Kong which I despise. If we continue to put certain people on a pedestal we are not progressing as a society.
STK: How can we reclaim/redefine the terms expat and immigrant as a society?
Nicole: "By forging cultural visibility, we create opportunities for more open conversations about questioning the need for labels, their effect on our unconscious bias and reclaiming these terms in a positive way." I feel like you can only reclaim terms like these if you’ve gone through an experience relating to it. If you are a person in power who wants to jump on the trend of “reclaiming” but don't have any relationship with these terms— you need to STOP and actually give the people who had gone through these experiences the platform rather than push your outsider commentary for clout. Otherwise you’re just making noise without purpose.
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