Riffing off Chinatown staples, Gabrielle Widjaja adds a stylistic spin to reflexology posters, Hongbaos and more
The Brooklyn-based artist merges graphic design and illustration in an exploration of her Chinese diasporic identity.
Words
Gabrielle Widjaja, otherwise known as Gentle Oriental, has a multi-disciplinary practice that aims to reclaim orientalism. What she means by this, is that she observes the east, not as the “other” but as a distant home, and from the perspective of a westerner who feels foreign to their own ancestral land. In turn, she tells us, she explores “what it means to be an Asian of the diaspora.” Gabrielle draws on a particularly unique aspect of her identity, reinterpreting “our culture into a more digestible and relatable experience for our western audience.
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The Chinatown Community Young Lions perform lion dancing at the Lunar New Year Celebration in Manhattan s Chinatown on Feb. 12.
Two colorful lion costumes appeared in a small doorway, each held up by two people one guiding the head, and the other following with the sparkling body and tail.
The lions are thought to bring good luck and prosperity for the Lunar New Year. And as they strutted and danced in the streets of Chinatown, decorated with silver bells and fur trim, they passed Rose Wong, who was walking inside a wearable red and gold lantern she created as an artwork and symbol of hope for the neighborhood.