LING DEBELLIS

Grapefruit is a mixed-media light + sound, projection + film, narrative + photography immersive installation that calls out society’s perverse and deeply ingrained sexualization and fetishization of Asian women. From Orientalism to “Me So Horny” to current sexual violence against the Asian female body, we are always “having a conversation” on something, but I want to actually, really talk about the taboo things, the things we shy away from. SEX. I want to know why talking about sex makes us uncomfortable. I want to know why I don’t feel uncomfortable talking about sex. Maybe it’s because I’m also an evolutionary biologist and sex is somewhat clinical. But maybe it’s also personal. As an Asian adoptee, how did I come to exist? How did we all come to exist? Sex is full of pain and pleasure, beauty and disgust. And why, why, why aren’t we talking about it?

Ling DeBellis
Spermatozoa, 2021
Epoxy resin and human semen

Ling DeBellis
Child (2022)
Digital film, 8 min

Ling DeBellis
Bitter (2022)
Digital film, 12 min

Ling DeBellis, Ida Du & Blaise Willis
Grapefruits, 2022
Inkjet on acetate

Advisor: Will Fowler

TIED IN NOTS
Mavis C. Pitman Exhibition 2022

The Mavis C. Pitman Exhibition has been underwritten by the Mavis C. Pitman Endowment and the Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts.