Imperial Sunset

Felt pen on paper

This work was developed on the stolen and unceded Land of First Nations communities, specifically the Gadigal Land of the people of the Eora Nation. 

Imperial Sunset is inspired by the anguish and drive to eliminate the scourge and sin that is racism, as a sin that corrupts and destroys the soul.

Drawing strong inspiration from Bleach, the warrior draws her power from aeons of endurance, wisdom and perseverance. Holding a long katana that drips scarlet blood from its blade, she longs for the eventual dismantling of colonial powers that sits stubbornly outside the purviews of accountability. 

The skulls that line the spoils of her struggles consist of the reigning Queen, the British Prime Minister to represent Britain’s stubborn refusal to confront its colonial past and present. The blade’s deep scarlet rain of blood represents the burdens that are constantly imposed on diverse communities to call out mistreatment and casual racism, and the collective toll it takes to challenge Meanwhile, her generous cheongsam, decorated with golden magnolias on a bed of fuschia pink symbolises the confidence that BIPOC communities hold in their ongoing battles against the scourge of discrimination. Golden and fuschia stand for the seemingly chaotic contradictions of life that lies ahead, bravely powering on with the storm of life while unafraid to confront the systemic scourge that surrounds our respective lives.