Artist Lecture Scott Tsuchitani

              

Humor for Stereotypes

            Scott Tsuchitani is an artist who strives to show the idea that people still are very stereotypical in everyday life, however he does it in a humorous way through his art. Tsuchitani began the lecture by showing us a Christmas card that he sent his family of the perfect stereotypical Asian American family, which many of them fell for. He then proceeded to tell us of his work that branched off from this, such as his, "Memoirs of a Sansei Geisha: Snapshots of Cultural Resistance."

            The poster outside the museum seemed to play off as well as idealize the Japanese culture that people seem to get infatuated with. Tsuchitani proceeded to make his own flyers, changing the original poster so that the face was that of his behind the fan, as well as changing the title from, “Geisha, Beyond the Painted Smile,” to “Geisha, Perpetuating the Fetish.” Tsuchitani spread the flyers around and although he is an artist making a statement some would just argue it was more of an activist movement. However, this was very much so just an artist statement showing that people and museums think they know a culture so well, yet if it is not of your own culture that you have grown up into yourself, how can one draw these conclusions? Tsuchitani’s originally seemingly small idea spread and gave him a name, which he then continued to run with this idea in other works to come as well.

            I enjoyed Tsuchitani’s work, subliminal and somewhat humorous, yet a very noticeable statement that people should consider before they draw their own conclusions. I would want to do something similar in that I enjoy public yet subliminal art that makes people think. Tsuchitani’s work is successful in getting to the point, in the most polite, humorous, and intelligent of ways.