What Comes After Piercing: An Art Analysis of the Piercing Triad

I always wanted to get my ears pierced.

Piercing triad, a painting I finished this summer, depicts a series of facial expressions that record my subtle emotional transitions during an ear piercing session. Ear piercing, for me, is always a symbol of rebellion. Western culture views ear piercing as an everyday adornment for both men and women, but Eastern culture, especially traditional Chinese culture, brands men who have ear piercings with stereotypical impressions like “bad lifestyle” and “street gangs”. My seeming desire to rebel and to contradict my Chinese identity proves my out of place in contemporary society. The opposite of “out of place”—belongingness—surprisingly embodies my experience as the only Chinese in the Stony Brook classroom.

Losing belongingness in my culture is weird, but gaining belongingness in a foreign culture is weirder. Those words may sound cliché and overused: the inclusiveness embedded in American culture resonates with my rebellious self and offers a safe environment for authenticity. The separation of azure blue and red in the painting recalls the different cultures: the plain and neutral blue resembles the modesty emphasized in Chinese culture; the textured and invasive red represents my expressive and unrestrained interpretation of America. Starting from left to right, blue diminishes while red increases as the needle penetrates my ear. The growing momentum of red and the gradual disappearance of blue parallel with my experience of losing belongingness in my home country but retrieving it in a foreign environment.

The further I wrote, the more confused I became with the definition of belongingness. In my first year studying in the States, I constantly sought to seize a piece of familiarity in this new environment. Same mother tongue, similar facial features, and same interests—I was eager to find my place in the community. However, back in China, surrounded by familiar dialects, familiar views, and people I have known for years, I still struggle to find belongingness. Then, what is the definition of belongingness, and will I, or we, ever be able to find it? I don’t have an answer.