Paintings by Joy Wong

Asking for it

Don’t stay on campus at night; don’t drink too much or leave your drink unattended; don’t walk home by yourself or take shortcuts; be careful who you talk to, and don’t flirt too much-—if you don’t abide by these rules, you’re asking for it. My school is notorious for incidents of sexual assault. “Don’t get raped,” my friends joke. I try not to. But that is precisely the problem: in this rape culture, people are told to not get raped, instead of being told not to rape. I’m beyond frustration. The only way to prevent a rape is to not be in the same vicinity as a rapist.

-—Joy Wong

2012. Oil on canvas. 56″ x 32″

 

 Slut

There are so many ads depicting women in passive but oversexualized situations, where  they choose to submit to aggressive macho desire. Females call each other sluts like it’s a compliment. We have such a disturbing, messy, and layered relationship with the word, and I’ve tried to portray that through the vigorous repetition of “slut” over the canvas, to the point of illegibility, because it’s not an easily decipherable issue.

-—Joy Wong

2012. Acrylic, mixed media on canvas. 48″ x 38″

 

 

 

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