Dismantling Orientalism: This Is Not a True Story

USC Visions and Voices

A conversation and staged reading on Asian American representation in popular culture that will focus on dismantling "Orientalism".

USC Pacific Asia Museum

In 1978, cultural critic and author Edward Said described Orientalism as “a system of thought and a way of seeing of ‘the East’ from the colonial gaze of ‘the West’ as mysterious, intriguing, and exotic, while at the same time primitive, despotic, and savage.” From Puccini’s Madama Butterfly to Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 release of Dune, there are multitudes of Orientalist representations in media that range from outrageous to subtle. All are steeped in colonization and cultural oppression. Join us for a timely conversation and staged reading on Asian American representation in popular culture that will focus on dismantling Orientalism within the context of film, video, and theatrical productions and put a spotlight on Asian American artists who are creating subversive and empowering works and paving the way for more meaningful representation and understanding. Panelists will include <a href="https://artistsatplay.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Artists at Play</a> director <a href="https://www.reenadutt.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Reena Dutt</a>; USC School of Dramatic Arts and USC Dornsife professor <a href="https://dramaticarts.usc.edu/rena-m-heinrich/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Rena Heinrich</a>; and UC Riverside professor of theater, film, and digital production <a href="https://profiles.ucr.edu/app/home/profile/galella" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Donatella Galella</a>, with moderator <a href="https://roski.usc.edu/community/faculty/jenny-lin" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Jenny Lin</a>, a professor at the USC Roski School of Art and Design.Following the panel, actors from the Asian American theatre collective Artists at Play will read an excerpt of This Is Not a True Story. In the new play by <a href="https://theatre.ucsd.edu/people/graduate-students/playwriting/preston-choi.html" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Preston Choi</a>, the heroine of Madama Butterfly completes her tragic suicide only to wake up trapped in a never-ending loop of her story, unraveling the history of Orientalist art and theatre, and the danger of fiction becoming reality.The event will conclude with a reception with light refreshments and access to exhibitions at the USC Pacific Asia Museum. <a href="https://visionsandvoices.usc.edu/eventdetails/?event_id=40253476715235&s_type=&s_genre=" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Click here to read more. </a>

Presented by USC Visions and Voices. Organized by the USC Pacific Asia Museum. Co-sponsored by the USC Roski School of Art and Design and USC School of Dramatic Arts.

<aside>Photo (left): Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging</aside><aside>Photo (middle and right): M Palma Photography</aside>

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Dismantling Orientalism: This Is Not a True Story

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