Patty Chang's“Melons” Explores Heritage And Violence

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Patty Chang's 1998 short film“Melons (At a Loss)” offers a provocative exploration of the Asian-American female body, its historical burdens, and themes of violence. The film features Chang herself, shown from the waist up, clad only in a cone-shaped“bullet bra” reminiscent of the 1940s.

The artist balances a ceramic plate, identified as an inheritance from a deceased aunt, on her head. While maintaining this balance, she narrates the history of the commemorative porcelain object and its toxic dye. Chang uses this inherited item to reference not only a familial and feminized legacy but also the broader, enduring heritage of porcelain as a transglobal commodity, which has historically fueled Euro-American desire and shaped Western perceptions of Asiatic individuals and objects from the 18th century to the present. This layering of legacies, Chang suggests, has shaped the physical and emotional demeanor of the Asian-American female body.

The work takes a darker turn as Chang raises a large paring knife and, with considerable effort, begins to saw her bra-covered left breast. This act of apparent self-mutilation persists for nearly a full minute, concluding when she peels back the severed bra cup to reveal a melon, creating both a visual and verbal pun. Chang then uses a spoon to scoop out the melon's flesh and feeds it to herself, attempting to speak through garbled breaths and increasingly frantic movements. This act transforms nourishment into violence, resembling self-cannibalism.

Source: Hyperallergic

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