Yellow Peril is a new body of work exploring the impact and influence of mining and immigration on the Australian identity. Ron Robertson-Swann’s infamous Vault, 1980, sculpture is the starting point for Lim’s performative and playful new video work, which features a gold Mao-suited ‘Ambassador’ sent back in time to the goldfields of the 1850s (through the historical theme park of today – Sovereign Hill).
Inspired by the observational comedy of Jacques Tati’s Playtime, Yellow Peril takes a localised look at the evolving dynamics between Australia and China and the interconnected nature of our socio-economic future; the personal and political search for wealth and alluvial fulfilment. Large prints on gold emergency blanket depict Lim’s parents as new immigrants with the ‘Yellow Peril’ in City Square beside the artist posed as ‘Ambassador’ with a gold replica of the ‘Welcome Stranger’.
Image: Eugenia Lim, Yellow Peril, 2015
