CUT IT OUT! - Me as 10 white cis men

"Me as 10 cis men" (bright pink). "Go-free Chaucer". The Mollusc Dimension is an East Asian artist whose face is superimposed over that of Geoffrey Chaucer. The latter wears a 14th century garment and headgear. TMD looks down wistfully to his left. — The Mollusc Dimension: Kai Fi’ain. Chaucer: Public Domain

SCROLL IF YOU DARE you might get a scare!

10 cut-outs of my face over white cis men, mostly DWM from the patriarchal canon.

The phrase “Dwm” is not a threat.

DWM is a canon of works, a desperately disproportionate platforming of deceased white cishet able-bodied men - frequently of a certain social class. History is devoted to them. Men who more often than not 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 on the invisible labour / skills / knowledge / ideas of women. Incidentally, the way the patriarchy ᴄʟᴀɪᴍꜱ ꜰᴀʟꜱᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ over non-cis men’s bodies - silences & erases our experiences, creativity, ingenuity & energies 𝘪𝘴 violent & parasitic.

Therefore, “DWM” is not a death-wish on living cishet men. Neither is it a celebration of their passing. Instead, for me DWM is a call to all to recognise privilege, make space for us & 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘴. Because if not, what happens is fatal. From transphobic distractions to gate-keeping mothers, powerful WM employ foot soldiers. The plodding insistence upon DWM as “supreme” keeps us - women, non cis-men & gender-non-conforming men “in our places”. Or rather, place-less.

Are you ready to see me as 10 white cis men/dwm? If so, here goes!

Go-Free Chaucer

The Mollusc Dimension is an East Asian artist whose face is superimposed over that of Chaucer's. Chaucer wears a 14th century brown garment and hat. — The Mollusc Dimension: Kai Fi’ain. Chaucer: Public Domain

2. William Squidxpeare

The Mollusc Dimension is an East Asian artist whose grinning face is superimposed over that of Shakespeare. Shakespeare wears a 16th century garment. — The Mollusc Dimension: Captured by Corinne. Shakespeare: Public Domain

3. Squidgang Amollusc MolluscArt

The Mollusc Dimension is an East Asian artist whose face is superimposed over that of Mozart. Mozart wears a red 18th century jacket and has a white curly wig. The Mollusc Dimension's eyes have been whited out inspired by Lil Nas X. — The Mollusc Dimension: Captured by Corinne. Mozart: Public Domain

4. Squidmund Freud

The Mollusc Dimension is an East Asian artist. His face is superimposed over that of Sigmund Freud. Freud wears a three piece suit and holds a cigar. The Mollusc Dimension wears a black hat. — The Mollusc Dimension: Vanessa Ng. Freud: Public Domain.

5. Albert Squidstein

The Mollusc Dimension is an East Asian artist whose face is superimposed over that of Albert Einstein. Einstein's white fluffy hair appears over The Mollusc Dimension's forehead. Einstein wears a rather nice woollen tweed coat. — The Mollusc Dimension: Captured by Corinne. Einstein: Public Domain

6. Pablo Squidasso

The Mollusc Dimension is an East Asian artist whose face is superimposed over that of Pablo Picasso. The latter wears a woollen coat. He holds one arm out across his chest. The Mollusc Dimension's face is in colour, lit by a red light. He wears a hat — The Mollusc Dimension: Shaven Raven Designs. Picasso: Public Domain

7. Me S Eliot

The Mollusc Dimension is an East Asian artist whose face is superimposed over that of TS Eliot. The latter is seated in a chair wearing a 3-piece suit with 1 hand over the other in a b/w photo. TMD was trying on £99 glasses in specsavers. — The Mollusc Dimension: selfie. TS Eliot: Public Domain

8. Alfred Squidcock

The Mollusc Dimension is an East Asian artist whose face is superimposed over that of Alfred Hitchcock. The latter wears a black jacket, sleek tie and white shirt in a b/w photo. TMD wears glasses and a red cap and smiles in a colour photo. — The Mollusc Dimension: selfie. Hitchcock: Public Domain

9. His royal Squidness

The Mollusc Dimension is an East Asian artist whose face is superimposed over that of the Prince Philip. The Mollusc Dimension wear a "trapper" hat with furry ears and front. — The Mollusc Dimension: selfie. Prince Philip: Public Domain

No. 10 (cos that’s where he lives)

The Mollusc Dimension is an East Asian artist whose face is superimposed over that of a white politician called boris johnson. BJ wears a jacket, shirt and tie. The Mollusc Dimension wears a black hat and looks pretty damn good in blonde hair. — The Mollusc Dimension: Captured by Corinne. Boris Johnson: Public Domain

If you enjoyed this, pls check out my music video fundraiser for Asians Have Feelings Too.

By the way, if you’re new to the word "cis", it’s not a slur. It just means one identifies with the gender you were assigned at birth. Just like “trans” is one word for not identifying with the gender you were assigned at birth.

SOME ARTISTS who inspired me to make this and who are not dead white cishet men!

Louise Ashcroft
Julian Konuk
Amy Pennington
Praewa Bulthaweenan
Sam Roberts
Cindy Sherman
Jordan Wong

This series is dedicated to Kez Positive Change Arts & all non-cis men whose lives and work were/are devalued by DWM.

I made this to make you smile!

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art, mental health, LGBTIQ, trans, creativity, DIY culture, storytelling, writingThe Mollusc Dimension30 November 2021