NO KUKUJIAO SERIES

No Kukujiao is the latest series by Christine Lok utilizing print signs to inspire social justice. The series presents an opportunity for Lok to transform her personal experiences into a call for action. The violation she experienced from a man exposing himself and assaulting her resulted in outrage. Outrage in a man who felt he had the authority to treat her in such a way, and outrage in a society that does so little to protect, prevent, and defend victims of these atrocities. The No Kukujiao series plays upon the universal iconography of signage; bold red, white, and black coloring signal a warning alongside silhouetted images with harsh strikethroughs indicating prohibition.

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Each sign features the heading “No Kukujiao”. The language offers a direct response to Lok’s abuser who repeatedly asked her if she would like to “see” his genitalia. The heading is accompanied by a different species of bird in flight as the silhouetted image playing on the South Asian colloquialisms for a man’s erect penis. Differing phrases are featured on the printed signs including “Thank you for your cooperation” and “Fine $1000” playing upon the everyday familiarity of the signs to a viewer, but subverting them with a dramatic message of awareness of the prevalence of sexual assault. The signs highlight how the simple notion of “No means No”, is somehow still blatantly ignored in situations of sexual assault.

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The No Kukujiao series is more than a series of images, but a form of social practice. Utilizing public and digital spaces Lok exposes the prevalence of these actions in society, calls out abusers for their heinous crimes, and hopes to inspire current and potential victims to stand up and say “no”.

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#sexualassault #metoo #voiceout #nomeansno