When Body Becomes an Exotic Vessel

Docile Body?

“My body was deployed as a medium, radiating an aura of authenticity and offering a sense of exotic allure. Acknowledging the pre-existing exotic symbols and pleasurable patterns, I am compelled to contemplate whether it is within my power to manipulate perceptions and reclaim my agency through the act of self-exoticizing.” 

Performative Labour?

As an Asian female expatriate living in the Netherlands, Hsin encounters how the exotic gaze decontextualizes culture into fragmented symbols, muddling the vulgar presence with spectacular fascination in one gloriously uncanny collage.   “When Body Becomes an Exotic Vessel“ delves into Hsin's personal experiences, exploring how the exotic gaze transforms cultural identity into simulations and reduces individuals to performative labor. Drawing on her identity and bodily experiences, she deconstructs the condescending curiosity embedded in the exotic gaze and repurposes these motifs as tools for her self-empowerment.