Kat Liu is an artist who describes her photography and videos as a way of exploring her identity as a Taiwanese-Chinese American woman, as well as themes of body image, cultural assimilation and fetishization. Kat's interview deals with many topics relating to Asian women and their bodies. These themes are intimately connected to the historical and contemporary violence inflicted upon Asian women. As Kat acknowledges in the interview, this violence can be explicit and lethal, such as in the case of the March 16 Atlanta spa shootings. However, violence can also be subtle, insidious. Kat shares her own experiences dealing with the sinister voyeurism of cyberstalkers who objectify and fetishize her, even as she tries to take ownership of her body through her artwork. Violence can take form in the comments we make about Asian women’s bodies, even when we have no intention of hurting them through our remarks. Kat’s story is also about how Asian women challenge this violence and demand that we be seen as so much more than sexual objects or pretty faces, all in the hope that the rest of the world will catch up with our humanity.
To check out Kat's artwork: http://www.kat-liu.com/
Support Asian American nonprofits and orgs:
#Hate is a Virus: https://hateisavirus.org/
Asian Americans Advancing Justice: https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/
NCAAT (North Carolina Asian Americans Together): https://ncaatogether.org/
SEAC (Southeast Asian Coalition): http://www.seacvillage.org/seac-street-food-festival-2017/website-builder/home
Stop AAPI Hate: https://stopaapihate.org/
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