Lau Wai
Profile Picture (Tetsuwan Atomu)

Profile Picture (Tetsuwan Atomu)

© Lau Wai

Profile Picture (Tetsuwan Atomu)
Profile Picture (Tetsuwan Atomu)
ArtistChinese, born 1982
CultureChinese
Titles
  • Profile Picture (Tetsuwan Atomu)
Date2017
MediumInkjet print with applied acrylic
DimensionsSheet: 47 × 37 in. (119.4 × 94 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Photo Forum 2018
Object number2018.193
Non exposé

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Object Type
DescriptionIn Profile Picture, artist Lau Wai carefully painted a portion of Japanese anime character Tetsuwan Atomu onto a reproduction of her childhood portrait. Lau’s blurred, three-year-old self becomes a bold, strong superhero by virtue of the flexing, sleek arms and torso painted onto the photo’s surface. The contrast between the blurred, meek portrait and the crisp, powerful character is striking. Commenting on the global popularity of anime, the uniquely Asian roots of this art form, and the influence of those cartoons on her perception of self, Lau’s engaging work is multilayered.
ProvenanceThe artist, Hong Kong; purchased by MFAH, 2018.
Exhibition History"Photo Booth," Para Site, Art Basel, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, March 21–25, 2017.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

cropped recto of sheet
Pok Chi Lau
Mr. Zhou Fu Ming, lifetime servant of Chairman Mao / Mao and Zhou swimming, Beijing
2006
Inkjet print
2009.21
Memorial Embroidered Picture
Ann Vose
Memorial Embroidered Picture
1807
Silk, applied paper, watercolor, and ink
B.70.51
Astronauts and Businessmen
John Baldessari
Astronauts and Businessmen
1988
Gelatin silver prints with applied acrylic paint
2002.2977
Untitled
Alain Filhol
Untitled
1981
Gelatin silver print with applied acrylic paint
2002.1040
cropped recto of sheet
Alain Filhol
Untitled
1981
Gelatin silver print with applied acrylic paint
2002.1041
Picture of Jean Norris’ old farm home in Oklahoma, hanging in the Norris living room
Debbie Grossman
Picture of Jean Norris’ old farm home in Oklahoma, hanging in the Norris living room
2010
Inkjet print
2014.219
Reading Architecture
Barbara Strigel
Reading Architecture
2022, printed 2022
Inkjet print with applied color
2022.679
Jal, Jungal, Jameen
Gauri Gill
Jal, Jungal, Jameen
2021
Inkjet prints with applied color
2023.236.A-.C
For Michael
Laurie Peek
For Michael
2022
Inkjet print with applied metallic leaf
2023.70
On the Breakwater at Kenceran Beach, Surabaya, Idul Fitri
Leo Rubinfien
On the Breakwater at Kenceran Beach, Surabaya, Idul Fitri
1982, printed 2019
Inkjet print with applied coating
2019.130
Image non disponible pour A Mural in Doi Suthep Temple, Chiang Mai
Leo Rubinfien
A Mural in Doi Suthep Temple, Chiang Mai
1984, printed 2019
Inkjet print with applied coating
2019.131
A View from a Bridge, Chungking
Leo Rubinfien
A View from a Bridge, Chungking
1984, printed 2019
Inkjet print with applied coating
2019.128