WHO AM I?
Hi,
My name is Kim Ye. As a Chinese-born American, I was raised in Illinois, and have been living and working in Los Angeles for the past 10 years. As an interdisciplinary artist, I’ve exhibited my work nationally and internationally, and I use all the tools I have at hand to draw attention to the circulation of power. I trace the path of power in order to propose alternate flows that disrupt current hierarchies held in place by social, economic, and sexual norms.
I draw attention to these norms—which are really just collective ruts—so that together, we can dig ourselves out by changing the structure of our interactions. From running a Femme Gaze Fotobooth at the Hammer Museum in which participants become another prop to be arranged and photographed, to trading artists a piece of their work for a fantasy fulfillment experience, my work creates cracks in the social facade whereby new relational possibilities can emerge. Since power lives between bodies and entities, my work is located in this in-between space, augmenting everyday situations using play, negotiation, and consent.
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My visiting artist "lecture" at Pomona College, Claremont, CA (2015)
WHO IS LADYSCUMBAG?
As many folks are already aware, femmes circulating in the world face a slew of frustrating inequities simply because of the position we occupy. Harassment, objectification, insolence—this is the shit with which we consistently tango, so it's no surprise that we are exhausted by these seemingly relentless daily confrontations.
But what if we can produce our own privilege? Is it possible to transform the very qualities that are used by the hegemonic, misogynistic patriarchy to hold us down--our feminine presentation, our sexuality, our perceived demureness and incompetence—into weapons of mass destruction? Is it possible to break the glass ceiling one stiletto heel at a time?
These is what the LADYSCUMBAG archetype is all about. By simultaneously harnessing the codes of femininity while disregarding others’ judgments of Her character, LADYSCUMBAG (LSB) can operate as a secret agent, a Trojan horse that works towards the destruction of the powers that be. As a counterfeit basic bitch: LSB is crass, self-interested, and grimy on the inside. She puts Herself first, using her well-honed—if undisguised—feminine wiles to suck the resources out of unsuspecting bros and other human accessories that lay in her path. Adapting her tone to fit the situation at hand, LSB is a lady first but definitely not foremost. Amoral, not immoral, She’ll drink your beer and then piss in your lawn. Her motives are not fueled by vindictiveness or cruelty—rather her superpower stems from a blatant disregard of others’ perceptions and judgments of Her character. Utilizing desire as the path of least resistance, She is Her Own protagonist.
Always committed to finding the morsel of (self)interest in any situation, LADYSCUMBAG is a boat that produces Her Own rising tide. But for this rising tide to wash away the bullshit on the shore, LSBs need to work in tandem, scheming with one another in plain sight...
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WHAT WE NEED
As an archetype, LADYSCUMBAG is much, much bigger than me, which is why I’m asking for your help. I'm raising funds for this project, which has a both exists online and IRL as:
- www.LADYSCUMBAG.com
- LADYSCUMBAG art show (LA)
Paying contributors
First, of course, there is the LADYSCUMBAG.com site, which I am soliciting content for starting in my own community. Having sent out nearly 200 individual emails to a diverse group of artists, writers, childhood friends, past coworkers, and recreational sports teammates, the enthusiasm of responses I’ve received has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic and inspiring. With over 40 people (and counting!) already committed to contributing to LADYSCUMBAG’s (LSB’s) online presence, I am asking for your help to raise funds to pay our contributors. While I’m not here to wax poetic on the gender pay gap or the (emotional) labor that women and femmes already do for free, I am here to lead by example. In offering an honorarium to those who take the initiative to share their lived experiences for our collective benefit, this LSB is inviting you to help model the ethic we hope to see in the world.
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Screenshot of in-progress LadyScumbag.com site
Paying for materials
Secondly, there is the physical art exhibit that will take place over a 5-week period at Visitor Welcome Center (VWC)—an artist-run space in Los Angeles with a history of championing the work of queer, POC, and women artists. For the duration of the LSB show, the space will be turned into an immersive and interactive installation, where visitors can participate in the production and propagation of the LSB archetype. Schooling gallery-goers in the feminine arts, I will be offering visitors the opportunity to embroider their own LSB utility bags (every femme needs an emergency kit), sew their own panties, and do their own makeup for superior selfie potential. While I will be holding office hours during gallery hours to help, instruct, and dialogue with visitors, the materials, merchandise, and makeup all cost money. In addition, there are the installation costs of turning a white cube gallery into a femme-oriented start up space complete with original sculptures, workstations, and weekly programming in the form of panels and workshops.
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Interior shot from entrance of Visitor Welcome Center
Covering gallery costs
Finally, like most galleries, VWC depends on sales from the show to sustain its operating costs. This exhibit however, unlike more traditional art exhibitions, will not have fine art objects for sale—thus denying the space of the ability to make money in the traditional, and problematic, manner. As an alternative form of sustainability, I am asking for the community’s support to share the burden of the gallery's costs for the duration of the LADYSCUMBAG exhibit. If you believe that the art world’s business model needs to be updated to reflect less elitist and more grassroots interests, this is your chance to help test drive a different model. By supporting this artist-run space that has taken many risks over the past 2+ years on the work and visions of emerging artists who are underrepresented in under the current market-driven art ecosystem, you are leveling the playing field and making space for more diverse points of view to come forth.
Breakdown of how funds will be used
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$5000 for contributor honorariums
$2000 for website + gallery costs
(web hosting + admin, gallery rent, utilities, demo of old wall, building new wall in different part of gallery, vinyl lettering, paint, drywall, 2x4s and other materials for installation, and labor and paint to restore space upon deinstallation)
$2000 merchandise materials
(200 utility bags, 100 yards custom LSB elastic, silkscreens, silkscreen ink, fabric, 3 embroidery pens, 100 yards assorted fabric, sewing machine needles and thread)
$1000 events + programming
(refreshments, snacks, parking, photographer and videographer for documentation, special guest fees, closing party for LSB's birth into the world)
THE IMPACT
The LADYSCUMBAG project is, at its core, a seedling with the potential of creating social change through personal and collective empowerment. At this stage, it is still a baby—one that needs the help of the entire village to raise it. This campaign is a question: Is there a need for LADYSCUMBAG in the world? Are there people out there who resonate with her ideals and aspirations? Is there a LSB in all of us?
If so, if you see the (latent) LADYSCUMBAG within yourself or in the eyes of the femmes you love, please help coax her out of her shell by donating to this cause. With every dollar, you are watering and fertilizing the seedling, showing her that there is a hunger for her self-possession, prowess, and unapologetically powerful femme-ness in this world.
And if you are not in a place to donate money right now (I feel you!), you can still help by spreading the word and sharing this campaign with those in your community who might resonate with the LSB vibe.
Thank you for giving your attention to this important cause.
Love,
Kim
P.S. If you would like to participate in the project as a contributor, I would love to hear from you!
