Lau Wai
Profile Picture (Tetsuwan Atomu)

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Artist Lau Wai(Chinese, born 1982)Chinese, 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

Not on view

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Department

Photography

Object Type

PHOTOGRAPHS

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.

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