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In her experimental 16 mm films, Aileen Ye (1997) examines the intercultural experience, particularly that of people from the Asian diaspora. She immerses herself in various subcultures in the Netherlands, England, and Ireland, her country of birth, and translates the stories she uncovers into poetic images. She also frequently collaborates with queer communities. As a self-taught filmmaker, Ye combines her artistic practice with an academic background. In 2020 she earned a master’s degree in sociology.
At Prospects, Ye is presenting the short film beast (2022). In this film, a lion dancer and a queer performer engage in a choreographic encounter that balances between dance and combat, inspired by martial arts. While circling each other, performer Lee Teng Poh shares his experiences as a queer person of Asian descent in a voice-over. Their dance symbolizes the field of tension between tradition and modernity, with on the one hand the lion dancer representing ancient Chinese tradition and on the other the performer embodying a fluid and open identity. The dynamics of attraction and rejection not only reflect the cultural baggage people from the Asian diaspora have to deal with, but also the inner conflict it causes.
The gloomy, dreamlike atmosphere underscores that this mainly concerns an internal struggle. Ye’s decision to use the 16 mm technique further intensifies this feeling: the jerky, hazy camera images cause an alienating experience, like being trapped in a nightmare you cannot escape from.
Text: Esmee Postma
Translated from Dutch by Marie Louise Schoondergang (The Art of Translation)