When Asian Art Meets Elvis Presley

A queer Asian artist鈥檚 photo depicting himself as Elvis Presley sparked reactionary racism in Memphis, illustrating the difficult terrain facing artists of color.

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By Jordan Arellano

5 MIN READ

May 24, 2022

What happens when an artist, a photograph, and an Elvis fan clash in an airport? No, it鈥檚 not a setup to a joke; in fact, far from it. But it is the absurd setting for a real story that took place in Memphis, Tennessee, earlier this year.

It started on Feb. 15, 2022, when a new terminal was inaugurated at the Memphis International Airport. To mark the opening, the UrbanArt Commission exhibited a curated collection of works by 61 Memphis-based or Memphis-affiliated artists. Among them was Tommy Kha, a world-renowned Chinese and Vietnamese American queer artist who was born and raised in Memphis, just minutes away from Elvis鈥� home, Graceland.

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A Tribute to Elvis and Identity

The for display at the airport was titled Constellations VIII/Golden Fields, and it includes a cardboard cutout of Kha dressed in an Elvis-style jumpsuit inside a cramped, office-type room with vivid blue chairs and walls.

As a queer Asian American southerner, Kha became intrigued by what he calls the 鈥渢ranscendence鈥� of the performance art and parodies of Elvis tribute artists, aka Elvis impersonators. Now living in New York City, Kha still uses his photography to express the complexity of Southern and racial identities.

The UAC and the airport vetted and accepted his photo, and in February, it appeared on the walls of the new terminal as part of the curated exhibit. This story should have ended there, with travelers admiring the creativity of one of Memphis鈥� finest artists.

But then the Elvis fans showed up.

In early March, Jon Daly, an avid Elvis fan and owner of an Elvis tourism store, was traveling through the new terminal when he shared an image of Kha鈥檚 photo on Facebook with the caption, 鈥淲hat a joke.鈥�

Memphis has an undeniably complicated relationship with Elvis Presley. As one of its most famous citizens, Graceland and Elvis-themed entertainment remains a huge tourism draw for the city. Fans of all stripes, tribute artists included, crowd the streets of Memphis for Elvis Week in August, as well as the 鈥淜颈苍驳鈥檚鈥� birthday in January, and almost every time in between. And while those in the tourism industry, such as the airport, are eager to keep Elvis fans happy, not all Memphians feel the same.

Elvis: Theft and Erasure

Victoria Jones, founder and executive director of , an organization that empowers Black artists and communities in Memphis, says 鈥淓lvis is so synonymous in my experience with erasure,鈥� based on his reputation for stealing the style and substance of his music from Black musicians. Despite the plethora of tribute artists, when Kha recreates his version of Elvis, Jones reflects that 鈥渋t鈥檚 still not White enough. We鈥檙e still erasing it.鈥�

鈥淓rased鈥� is a good way to describe what happened to Kha鈥檚 work. As Daly鈥檚 post blew up on Facebook, commenters were outraged at what they called Kha鈥檚鈥渄isrespectful鈥� depiction of Elvis and called for the airport to take down the artwork. Some of the responses included disparaging remarks about Kha鈥檚 race, references to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and racist questions about whether 鈥渢he Chinese bought the airport too?鈥� Within days, the photograph was quietly removed.

On Monday, March 22, Kha where his photo should have been displayed. He said, 鈥淎fter some disturbing complaints about my work, it was decided, and without my knowledge, the pictures were removed. I鈥檓 the only artist they have removed.鈥� He continued, 鈥淚鈥檓 quite disappointed as it was one of many artworks selected to hang in the new concourse鈥攁n honor that connected me to the place where I grew up鈥nd the opportunity gave me hope that artists like myself could be represented.鈥�

The response was swift. First online, and then in the press, people in Memphis and beyond were horrified that racism had led to the censorship of an artist in a public space. , 鈥淚t is unclear what factors 鈥� potential calls from the mayor or Elvis Presley Enterprises, complaints on social media, news coverage, or internal discussion 鈥� inspired the decision, but by Tuesday evening, the Memphis airport issued a statement of their decision to reinstall the piece.鈥� On March 23, the image was reinstalled.

Grappling With Racial Trauma

There has been a lot of blame all around to explain what happened to Kha鈥檚 art. Lauren Kennedy, executive director of UAC, says more education is needed to help large institutions understand the significance of removing artwork. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a big statement,鈥� she says, 鈥渁nd to make that decision so soon after it had been installed and we were all celebrating was jarring.鈥� The Memphis airport has maintained to the press that it was trying to mitigate both controversy and harm, and that it never meant to pacify racists. Airport officials said to the Memphis Flyer, 鈥淚n hindsight we realize there was a bigger impact than we intended. We are not art people. We are airport people.鈥�

Jones says part of the problem stems from large corporations and public systems that crave racial representation and engage in what is sometimes called 鈥�,鈥� without real care for the artists themselves. 鈥淪top inviting us into your space if it鈥檚 not safe for us,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 get to ask creatives and storytellers to share their story, especially if they鈥檙e coming from marginalized communities, and then pick apart which parts you want to share.鈥�

Kha confirms that when intentional systems are not in place to protect artists of color, harm is easily done, regardless of intent. He says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 f鈥搉g traumatizing for your work to be removed. It took me two months since the beginning of March when it happened to even deal with it.鈥� Even with the artwork back on display at the airport, it doesn鈥檛 feel like he鈥檚鈥渨辞苍.鈥�

鈥淒efinitely to Tommy鈥檚 credit鈥e鈥檚 been really consistent to say, 鈥楬ow can I use this opportunity to highlight other artists or support conversation in a way that鈥檚 helpful for other artists?鈥欌€� says Kennedy. Although shy of the limelight and recovering from his trauma, Kha is still determined use his platform as a well-known artist to further conversations about representation in art. To do that, he needed to return to Memphis.

鈥淔lying into the Memphis airport feels like running into your ex,鈥� he joked when describing his first trip back for on May 18. Hosted by the Brooks Museum of Art in partnership with UAC, Kennedy says the purpose of the art panel was not to rehash Kha鈥檚 experience at the airport, but to empower artists and students to better understand how the industry works.

Protecting the Creativity of Artists of Color

Another way to empower artists of color is through education. In addition to being a photographer, Kha is an adjunct professor at several art schools in the New York area where he teaches, among other things, professional practice for artists. This includes lessons on creating and maintaining a professional portfolio and a curriculum vitae, writing an artist statement, and more. Kha says that such professional training is one of the biggest things missing from art school curricula and is critical to helping students of color survive in the art world.

Jones offers her own insight for empowering diverse communities of artists. 鈥淭he next part of the journey is ownership,鈥� she says. 鈥淗ow do we not just exist in this space until someone tells us we can鈥檛 anymore?鈥� What she means is that while it鈥檚 about property ownership, it鈥檚 also about the protection of creativity. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something really incredible that happens when you鈥檙e safe enough to experiment,鈥� she says of the Black artists who create and show work within her organization. 鈥淚鈥檓 just trying to figure out how to build out a hub for Black innovation.鈥�

Months after the controversy over his photograph, Kha says he is stepping back. 鈥淚鈥檓 still doing my work, but I just need a break from working with Memphis organizations,鈥� he says. As someone who has spent so much of his career exploring representation and erasure, it鈥檚 difficult for him to handle the visibility that this situation brought him. And it seems more important than ever for him, and all artists of color, to grapple with the question that he posed in his recent Art21 video: 鈥淗ow do we see ourselves when we are not represented?鈥�

Jordan Arellano is a freelance journalist writing about the intersections of art, culture, and travel, and her work has been published in Edible Memphis and the Daily Memphian. She has a Master's in International Development and is interested in how art and justice intersect. She currently lives in Memphis, Tennessee, and can be reached at [email protected]