Kristina Wong x Erin Yoshi: Political Comedy in a Post-Satire World

11/16/21 • 56 min

Today, guest host and LA muralist Erin Yoshi is joined by performance artist, comedian, writer, and elected representative, Kristina Wong. Kristina has been featured in the New York Times’ Off Color series, highlighting artists of color who use humor to make smart social statements about the sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious ways that race plays out in America today. She has been presented internationally across North America, the UK, Hong Kong, and on the African continent, and has been a guest on late night shows on NBC, Comedy Central, and FX. Kristina’s work has been described as “brutal but hilarious" and, in this episode, she shares her unique perspective on the intersection between politics and art, martyrdom and mental health, and her Western privilege as an Asian American woman. We also touch on vagina costumes, yellow fever, and Kristina’s love-hate relationship with activism and obsession, plus so much more! To learn more about Kristina Wong and how she confronts defunct systems of power through her outrageously funny and highly relevant work, tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

Kristina shares her relationship with performance art and how her expression has evolved.
Kristina’s experience of running for office, the intersection between politics and art, and making political comedy in a post-satire world.
A glimpse into ‘Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord’, her newest performance art piece.
Crashing a beauty pageant in ‘Fannie Wong, Former Miss Chinatown 2nd Runner Up’.
Recurring themes of martyrdom, mental health, and saving the world in Kristina’s projects.
Confronting her Western privilege through hip hop in Uganda in ‘The Wong Street Journal’.
The importance of listening to those most affected by the issues you advocate for or against.
Performing stand up comedy in a vagina costume to confront racism and patriarchy.
Kristina on her viral media appearance about dating white men with Asian fetishes.
Confronting controversy through comedy; Kristina shares insight into her writing process.
How she tackled the inefficiencies and desperation of the COVID-19 pandemic in ‘Sweatshop Overlord’ and ‘Auntie Sewing Squad’.
How making fun of herself as an activist creates more ‘screenshot-able fodder’ for the right.
How Kristina replenishes herself and the systems of care she has built into her projects.
The importance of relearning and respecting the labor involved in our artwork.
Targeting the root of the cause rather than simply being critical.
Where Kristina gets inspiration from; her love-hate relationship with activism and obsession.
Find out where you can watch ‘Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord’ until 28 November.

For more info, visit: https://notrealart.com/kristina-wong

Key Points From This Episode:

Kristina shares her relationship with performance art and how her expression has evolved.
Kristina’s experience of running for office, the intersection between politics and art, and making political comedy in a post-satire world.
A glimpse into ‘Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord’, her newest performance art piece.
Crashing a beauty pageant in ‘Fannie Wong, Former Miss Chinatown 2nd Runner Up’.
Recurring themes of martyrdom, mental health, and saving the world in Kristina’s projects.
Confronting her Western privilege through hip hop in Uganda in ‘The Wong Street Journal’.
The importance of listening to those most affected by the issues you advocate for or against.
Performing stand up comedy in a vagina costume to confront racism and patriarchy.
Kristina on her viral media appearance about dating white men with Asian fetishes.
Confronting controversy through comedy; Kristina shares insight into her writing process.
How she tackled the inefficiencies and desperation of the COVID-19 pandemic in ‘Sweatshop Overlord’ and ‘Auntie Sewing Squad’.
How making fun of herself as an activist creates more ‘screenshot-able fodder’ for the right.
How Kristina replenishes herself and the systems of care she has built into her projects.
The importance of relearning and respecting the labor involved in our artwork.
Targeting the root of the cause rather than simply being critical.
Where Kristina gets inspiration from; her love-hate relationship with activism and obsession.
Find out where you can watch ‘Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord’ until 28 November.

For more info, visit: https://notrealart.com/kristina-wong

Previous Episode

Ashara Ekundayo x Erin Yoshi: Joy-Informed Art as a Tool of Resistance and Healing

In today’s episode of the Not Real Art Podcast, guest host and prolific Los Angeles-based muralist Erin Yoshi speaks with Ashara Ekundayo about the power of joy-informed art for resistance and healing. Ashara is a Black feminist, an independent curator, an artist, and an interdisciplinary creative arts leader committed to an intersectional framework of social transformation that expands the influence and impact of arts and culture on racial and gender equity and environmental literacy, and more specifically one that necessitates a practice of recognizing joy in the midst of struggle. Tuning in, you’ll learn more about the work that Ashara does through her nonprofit, Artist as First Responder, which acknowledges that artists show up first in crisis and celebration to forge solutions, heal communities, and save lives through design, practice, invitation, and presentation. Ashara shares her mission to hold space for creative labor, to create beautiful narratives about joy and pleasure in a society so focused on the trauma-informed, and her belief in the power of art and education to create change by showing us opportunities for who we are and what we can be. You’ll also discover some of the other remarkable projects, platforms, and exhibitions that Ashara has created and contributed to over the years, as well as some of her favorite artists right now, so make sure to tune in today for this insightful and powerful conversation about the intersection between love, art, joy, and rage!

Key Points From This Episode:

Ashara reflects on her earliest memories as a ‘gatherer’ around the arts and crafts table.
How her parents introduced her to art and were formative influences on her practice.
Hear about Ashara’s career trajectory, formal education, and early desire to be a curator.
Learn more about Artist as First Responder (AAFR) and how it facilitates joy as a tool of resistance and a mechanism for healing communities.
Ashara explains the six-point philanthropic and interactive arts platform of AAFR.
The importance of celebrating artist’s work and arts labor as first responder work.
How Ashara navigates the traditional arts world as a queer, BIPOC arts leader and creative.
Learn about the former Impact Hub Oakland, founded by seven artists, including Ashara.
Ashara shares her belief that we are all born creative and her ongoing mission to hold and create space for creative labor.
What she looks for in the artists she works with; honesty, curiosity, and enjoyment.
What Ashara calls the artist ‘flake out factor’ and the importance of authentic commitment.
How traveling has influenced her work and the perspective it has offered Ashara.
Some of the priorities that have shifted in her personal life following the pandemic.
Why she believes having grace and patience with ourselves and each other is the new norm.
Discover the self-guided Black Joy StoryWindows exhibition in Downtown Oakland.
Hear about BLATANT, a publication of AAFR, and Ashara’s ongoing conversation partnership with the Museum of the African Diaspora.
Memorable conversations Ashara has had with Black women artists and cultural workers.
Ashara on the power art has to create change; witnessing opportunities for what can be.
How education goes hand-in-hand with creativity and the legacy of who we are.
Artists to watch, including Tongo Eisen-Martin, Tiff Massey, and Zanele Muholi.

For more info, visit: https://notrealart.com/ashara-ekundayo-and-erin-yoshi

Next Episode

Robert Liu-Trujillo x Erin Yoshi: Sharing Stories of Diversity and Joy

In today’s episode of the Not Real Art Podcast, guest host Erin Yoshi is joined by Robert Liu-Trujillo, a fine artist, illustrator, muralist, children’s book creator, and lifelong Bay Area resident. Born in Oakland California, Rob is the child of student activists who watched lots of science fiction and took him to demonstrations. Always drawing, Rob grew up to be an artist, falling in love with graffiti, fine art, illustration, murals, and children’s books at a young age. Rob now illustrates and writes bilingual children’s books to share stories of diversity of joy, like Furqan’s First Flat Top, where readers meet Furqan Moreno, a 10-year-old Black Latino boy who always had “real curly hair” and decides it is time for a new haircut. Through storytelling, Rob scratches the surface of many untold stories, and he is also the Founder of Come Bien Books and a Cofounder of The Trust Your Struggle Collective. In this conversation, he offers some insight into the evolution of his artistic practice and shares some of the narratives in his books, which he created for kids like his son, who is mixed race and bilingual. He also walks us through the process of building stories and creating characters, using art to address social issues, and the power of encouraging young BIPOC artists, plus so much more, so make sure to tune in today to learn more!

Key Points From This Episode:

Robert shares some of his early memories of art, starting with his love for graffiti.
How he learned about graffiti and design and ultimately went on to study fine art in college.
His lifelong passion for art and how growing up in the Bay Area influenced his work.
From working in libraries, antique shops, and art stores to teaching; Rob’s career trajectory.
The evolution of his work from graffiti to illustration, inspired by animation and comic books.
Finding his niche in children’s books and writing contemporary stories of diversity and joy.
Hear more about Rob’s DIY route to becoming a published author and illustrator.
Some of the storylines in Rob’s first books, which he created for kids like his own.
What Rob’s disciplined art practice looks like and why he believes it’s like being an athlete.
Rob on his process of ideating, iterating, and creating narratives and characters.
Challenges he has encountered on his journey and what they taught him about picking his battles, consistency, and the power of saying ‘no’.
Learn about the Trust Your Struggle Collective and what inspired the formation of the crew.
Using art to address current and past social issues and to illustrate what could be.
What Rob has learned from collaboration; why he believes that “steel sharpens steel.”
Find out what artistic sovereignty and artistic sustainability mean to him.
How Rob looks after himself by taking days off social media and doing consistent exercise.
Staying relevant and ‘fresh’ by working on a wide variety of different projects.
Some of the artists that Rob admires, including Olivia Fields and Abelle Hayford.
How Rob overcomes artists’ block as a professional by practicing regularly.
Balancing being a parent and a working artist and inspiration Rob gets from his children.
What’s next for Rob, including his new picture book, Alejandria Fights Back!
How he hopes his art book, Art of Rob, will encourage young BIPOC kids to be artists.