CANTONESE COWGIRLS
(2020-PRESENT)
Meet the residents of Taco, TX, home of the Cantonese Cowgirls. Since creating the first cowgirl, it’s become an ongoing series and a fun way for me to explore themes of sense of belonging, identity, and culture as an Asian American immigrant. By combining decorative motifs from Western glam fashion and Cantonese opera costumes, a fusion aesthetic emerges as its own unique and independent entity.
Long ago, someone told me there was a town named Taco in Texas. When I decided to look it up on Google Maps one day and didn’t find such a place, I decided that the cowgirls all live in this fictional town called Taco, TX. You can read more about the ideas and sentiment behind this series here.
Cantonese Cowgirl & Her Water Baffalo, 2020
7”x9”, Acrylic gouache on panel, SOLD
She is first in the series, mayor of Taco, Texas. Read the story behind her here.
Cantonese Cowgirl Waiting For Her Lover Under Plumeria Tree, 2021
23” x 32”, acrylic on cotton, SOLD
Plumeria is the local horse vet, romantic partners with the first Cantonese cowgirl.
Mrs. and Mrs. Kam, 2023
24”x36”, Acrylic gouache on cotton rag mounted on panel
The married couple are owners of the local two step dance hall.
Cantonese Cowgirl & Bevo, 2023
24”x36”, Acrylic gouache on cotton rag mounted on panel, SOLD
The sheriff and her trusty steed. Bevo is also the name of my alma mater’s mascot, the famed longhorn steer. I have chosen to depict him with an air of East Asian mysticism, as if he’s a mythological creature.
Marigold & Chrysanthemum
24”x24”, Acrylic gouache on cotton rag mounted on panel, SOLD
The couple are the co-owners of the local funeral home at Taco, TX. I have chosen to name the pair after the two yellow blooms because marigolds are used during Day of the Dead in Mexican culture to venerate the dead and chrysanthemums are used in the same way in Chinese funerary traditions.