“Pulling A Tooth From A Tiger’s Mouth” Exhibition Offers Unique Perception Of Western and Chinese Cultures

The Asian Creative Foundation presents its latest exhibition, “Pulling A Tooth From A Tiger’s Mouth.” The work is part of the “Learning Chinese with Xianglong” signature collection by New York artist Xianglong Li. 

Pulling a tooth from a “Chinese” tiger suggests that Western countries have slandered China since the beginning of COVID-19. The artist rethinks the relationship between countries during the pandemic, and the tiger here represents China. Xianglong wants to teach the Western audience to learn Chinese critically and humorously, which is why his exhibitions use lots of hilarious metaphors in a serious manner.

“I like to use Chinese couplets in my work since they can be comprehended in different ways,” Xianglong said. 

When creating his art, Xianglong combines language elements with animation, pop culture and social news. He uses inspiration from life, then mixes it with some popular elements to symbolize generation Z to make the entire work produce vitality and empathy with the audience. 

When New York City went into lockdown, he began to rethink the pandemic’s impact on the world and society’s best contribution. Is it selfish to insist on going out when healthcare workers are working on the frontlines for people? It was the government’s insistence that the virus originated from China that led him to curate another exhibition called “Stay Home, Make Your Contribution to the Society.” 

Due to this lack of unity from the government, the Asian community suffered unfair attacks from 2019 to the present. Xianglong presented his thoughts in an exhibition in a satirical way, allowing people to read and look at the whole situation from other perspectives. 

“Everyone should contribute to this community, especially in the pandemic. We can’t just rely on the contributions of others, sit back and enjoy the achievements. You do what you can, and we would get back to our normal life sooner than later.” he said. 

The artist hopes his unique art techniques and style reach a larger audience. He entered the International Juried Art Competition “How I Remember 2020” and was given a finalist award. 

 “My goal is to attract more Western people to watch my work and realize the detrimental effects of racist stereotypes and the cruel reality of the Asian experience in America,” he said. 

You can check Xianglong’s latest exhibition, “Pulling A Tooth From A Tiger’s Mouth,” at https://www.asiancreativefoundation.org/blank-page-copy-5