Sunscreening

Video

 Duration: 9 min 36 s


Video filming: Hsu Hsun Hsiang

Video editing: Jennifer Yue Yuen Yu

In Sunscreening, I explore the paradox of belonging through the lens of skin, sunlight, and self-imposed protection. As an Asian in Indonesia—a place where white tourists dominate—I felt alienated, persistently wearing sunscreen to avoid tanning, yet still being perceived as a local under the relentless sun. This unsettling experience followed me back to Germany, where the scarcity of sunlight contrasts sharply with South-east Asian’s intensity.

The zinc oxide in my homemade biodegradable sunscreen leaves a whitening residue, a temporary transformation that mirrors my desire to assimilate into European society. Filmed in the muted light of a German winter, with snow faintly dusting the ground, the work takes the form of a pseudo-advertisement, promoting the sunscreen as both a product and a metaphor. Free samples were distributed to the audience, inviting them to reflect on visibility, identity, and the barriers we construct—both chemical and cultural.

Sunscreening was exhibited in “High Tide Low Current” at Dauerwelle, Bremen, Germany (21–15 February 2025).


Video filming courtesy of Hsu Hsiang Hsun.