Eater
A painting by Chloe Sun.
Challenging the stereotype of Asia as “dirty bat-eaters” or “dog-eaters” in the midst of a pandemic often called the “China virus” or kung-flu,” this piece was fueled by an angry passion to defend my identity. This past year, the world witnessed an endless tirade of hate and disgust, calling me and my brothers and sisters dirty, uncivilized eaters. Eaters of bats, eaters of dogs, eaters of things the prim and proper and pristine Western inhabitants of the world would never dream of touching. It was because of the eaters that this pandemic was here, apparently. Seeing something so incredibly wrong and damaging drove me to create this piece — something just to address that I, the apparent eater of dogs and bats and who knows what else, am not the one to blame. Asia is not dirty, it is not savage, it is not backward. The “eaters” are tired of being the scapegoat.
About the Artist
Chloe Sun (she/her) is an Indiana-based artist and graphic designer. She is currently pursuing a BFA in Design from Carnegie Mellon University. Passionate about uplifting fellow women of color and honoring her Chinese-American roots, Chloe has been involved in numerous community/social justice art and print magazine initiatives. In her free time, she loves exploring new music and penpal-ing. You can find more of her work under the handle @gallery.of.sun on Instagram.
