Ho Yan Pun Nicole – [↑] Hand 1; [↙] Hand 2; [↘] Hand 3 from In & Out series (2014)

As a lesbian artist from Hong Kong, I choose lesbian’s hands as a
site of resistance. Through photographing and exposing different
lesbian’s hand gestures in public, I am making a political statement to
show the existence of the lesbian community, that has been invisible in a
lot of Asian countries. Under the British colonial governance, Hong
Kong had a criminal law against male homosexuality before 1990s. Any
male to male homosexual behavior were banned. In 1991, the Legislative
Council decriminalized the private homosexual behavior. These law
address specifically to male homosexuality. The society largely believed
that only the male homosexual behavior involved the act of insertion.
It was considered indecent and would cause diseases. On one hand, the
legislation oppressed the right of male homosexuals. On the other hand,
this oppression reveals the existence of this marginal group. Their
voice and desire of fighting for their right becomes more and more
explicit nowadays. Lesbian’s voice is always hidden. In Hong Kong,
lesbians do not have a clear social space. Even in the US, when it comes
to bars, the number of lesbian bars can hardly match up to that of gay
bars. This community is always invisible, especially in Asian culture.
Obviously, there are body politics involved. The society presumes
lesbian sex do not have the insertion as sexual activity. Their hands
are not regarded as “sexual organs”. As a lesbian, I believe hands are
precious sexual organs, just as how penis signifies male power. Lesbian
hand embodies lesbian phallus, power, fantasy, erotica. Therefore, by
showing intimate hand gesture, it is a sign of revolt, a sign of
recognition of this community.

source (via @lesbianartandartists)