 "Whirlwind
Ride"
by Celeste MaglanThe IndependentMarch 16, 1995 Kip Fulbeck has a lot to say and he ain't afraid to say it. In Speakin' Up the Yin/Yang: an amerasian man in america, Fulbeck addresses his experiences as an Asian and Amerasian man with his foot on the accelerator and never lets up. This verbal improviser uses monologues, character parodies, video works, and poetry with fast-paced eclecticism, MTV-style. Fulbeck mixes autobiography with fiction to deliver a show jam-packed with anecdotes, images, and ideas that entertains as well as provoke thought. Currently an assistant professor of Art Studio and Asian American Studies at UCSB, Fulbeck still manages to tour and exhibit his work as a performance and video artist nationwide. In 1993, he performed in New York at the Whitney Museum of American Art Biennial. His videos have earned several awards, including Best Local Filmmaker at last year's Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and have aired on PBS. Last Thursday, the audience was treated to pre-show entertainment provided by Fulbeck's friend, Ken Betita. As stragglers settled in, he led the audience in a raffle and a round of 20 Questions about Fulbeck. Prizes included bubble bath, condoms, and Power Ranger key chains. Before the show even commenced, we learned that Fulbeck eats Power Bars for breakfast, wears a size 11 shoe, and that his real name is Lawrence. Fulbeck recounts his hilarious experience with a Filipino roommate, speaking a coded language with a Cantonese mom, and losing a game of Mortal Kombat to his nine-year-old nephew, who never fails to take out his heart and spill his blood in less than 15 seconds, Fulbeck tackles numerous issues such as interracial dating, selling out, and racism. In his videos, Asian Studs Nightmare and Some Questions for 28 Kisses (both shown at this year's SBIFF), he shows how Hollywood is constantly bombarding us with images of Joy Luck couples (an Asian woman and a white male), like in Shogun and Rambo. In "SAM ISO...," he scans the L.A. Times Dateline section and questions why it's always full of white men searching for Asian women and vice versa. Fulbeck criticizes women who "don't date Asian men," thereby adhering to the stereotype that Asian men are inferior to white men. In "Talking Shop," he emphasizes the personal irony he experiences as an Asian American male. After he points out to a friend who doesn't date Asian men (and never really thought about it) that they were on a date, she tells him, "Kip, you're not like an Asian man." In another incident, an Asian male friend tells him to make a film denouncing interracial dating. Fulbeck (the product of an interracial marriage) says to him if it weren't for a white man dating an Asian woman, he wouldn't be here. His friend says, "But Kip, you're like an Asian man." The strongest piece in the show is the finale. In "The Canemaster," a poem written by Fulbeck, he fulfills his dream of becoming a warrior who combats racial comments and stereotypes with the thwack of a stick. This gutsy tirade leaves a strong impression. Reminiscent of Karen Finley, he empowers himself with intense words and vivid images to fight back. The show's upbeat tempo keeps you alert. As a whole it's a whirlwind ride from silly humor to scathing satire fraught with complex, intelligently articulate insights- a ride I'm glad I didn't miss. |
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