Abstract
Focusing on Frog King Kwok’s performative work Hark Bun Lum in the 1970s and 1980s, this paper looks at the idea of the abject as an art form and an identarian performance. The abject in Kwok’s practice refers to both transformative material and process, as well as how it mirrors his peripheral status as an outcast in the New York art scene. The abject elements, such as burnt material, carcasses, and cheap plastic bags, form the basis of audience participation, and how identity is performed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 417-440 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Journal | Art in Translation |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 22 Apr 2020 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
Research for this article was supported when the author was an Adjunct Researcher, Tate Research Centre: Asia, a position which was generously supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Keywords
- Frog King Kwok
- abject
- happenings
- performance
- environment
- assemblages
- Asian American movement
- Hark Bun Lum