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The Orientalist Erasures - Biddulph Grange Garden

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A black and white photograph of a Chinoiserie building in a formal garden, with foliage and water surrounding it. The building itself has been cut from the image so that a light-grey silhouette remains. Chinoiserie-style details remain visible in the outline of the building.

The Orientalist Erasures - Biddulph Grange Garden

Date: 2022
Artist: Yuxing Chen, 陈雨星 (Chinese)
Dimensions:
Unframed: 42 x 59.4 cm
Medium: Photographic Print on Epson Enhanced Matte paper
Object number: UAC 1095
DescriptionYuxing studied MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at London College of Communication. She says:

"The Oriental Scene investigates the concept of Chinoiserie architecture in the UK in the context of post-colonialism. The work is in part a collection of historical archives of the Porcelain Tower of Nanking, containing objects, paintings and documents, to show a lineage of how the Tower has been represented in various media. The East, metaphorically transformed by the Tower, is hidden within a grander narrative. The redaction of the architecture intervenes in the debate over Eastern ownership under Orientalism and reveals the history of cultural colonisation behind the scene of the East created by the West, as well foregrounding institutional issues and accountability of the museum".