It’s all in the details

a detailed view
She wanted to do more than just pass (detail)

I’ve always thought that a title is very important to a piece of work.  A lot of thought goes into my titles, even when they look very simple, there is either a reason for that or it has a hidden meaning.  I don’t really like when works are called “Untitled”, unless there is a reason for the work to be titled “Untitled”.

So for She wanted to do more than just pass, there are several meanings to this title.  Given the time and place that this portrait was painted, there is the more obvious meaning.  I wanted to do well in my art career, I wanted to succeed.  But then, there are the clothes that I chose to wear in this painting: a man’s three piece suit.  I was living and working in London, UK at the time, and many would argue that this is the centre of the international art world.  From my experiences in both my education and the art world, there was an overwhelming sense that I was in a very white male dominated industry, and where did I fit in as a Chinese-Canadian woman?  Was “dressing” the part enough?  Going in drag?  Could I/my artwork pass for a male/man’s work?  Obviously not, as the hint of lacy undergarments shows that I can’t hide that I’m female.

I didn’t want to just pass though, I wanted to do more than just pass.  I wanted to succeed as a Chinese-Canadian female artist, and it was with this drive and determination that I had to choose where my path would take me next.