Retro pop culture icons remembered as bowling pins: An interview with Bernice Lum
Princess Leia. Astrogirl. Rosie the Robot maid, who rolled into The Jetsonâs first cartoon episode in 1962. These are all icons of pop culture, but can easily be forgotten in todayâs Instagram-filled, Kardashian era. But theyâre not forgotten to Bernice Lum, a Chinese Canadian who acquired over 100 old bowling pins from a local bowling alley and turned them into artworks that show hilarious caricatures of Mickey Mouse, Disneyâs Bambi and Astroboy. They will all show at Pulse Art Fair in Miami starting December 6 with Galerie Youn for Miami Beachâs art week. From her studio in Toronto, she spoke to us about the nostalgia for bowling, her favorite kind of ice cream and why her hero is Bruce Lee.Â
How do the bowling pins tie into your family history?
Bernice Lum: My fatherâs restaurant had a bowling team that played in a league. He was an avid bowler and there were tons of trophies displayed to show their teamâs successes.
Why was bowling significant during the decade you grew up?
I was born in 1963 and bowling was a huge pastime. My father took us bowling on his days off at the Bowlerama on Bathurst just north of Eglinton at Glencairn.Â
Why did you choose figures like Bruce Lee, CBC (Canadian born Chinese), Mao and Lucky?
CBC was what other Chinese people would call me. I didnât speak Chinese, so it was more difficult to identify with people in the Chinese community. I was told that being first generation Chinese, I should know how to speak the language. It was a visit to Hunan Palace on Spadina Ave across from Grossmanâs Bar that a gentleman waiter told me I should tell people I am second or third generation Chinese which would help people not to judge me which I am still thankful for until this day.
What do you mean?Â
Being called a âbananaâ (yellow on the outside and white on the inside) or âbambooâ (meaning hollow on the inside, that being not knowing the Chinese culture or language), it was hard not to be offended, especially by the latter, but I grew up more Canadian than Chinese. The racism made me feel like it was wrong to be Asian and the Chinese community shunned me for being more Canadian than Chinese, but I just carried on and challenged that kind of noise when it arose.
Does this work comment on your upbringing as a Canadian Chinese?
Creating the artworks Mao and Lucky Cat was a commentary on my being a âbamboo.â I am slowly learning my family history in tidbits, as my parents would never discuss. After my father passed away two years ago, the stories are slowly unravelling. My naĂŻvetĂŠ of my culture is why I chose these characters. I remember all the porcelain statues of Mao sitting in Chinatown stores alongside the many smiling buddhas and lucky cat. The paraphernalia always made me feel like a tourist and I always felt I should buy a little bit of Chinese for my home, but never did as I really didnât know how to relate to it.
Did you admire Bruce Lee?
Bruce Lee was my hero and like my brothers, I wanted to be like him. I remember my mom taking us to the Pagoda Theatre in Chinatown to see Bruce Lee films when we were young. In public school, I was picked on a lot by this boy for quite a long while.  He was always calling me names with racial connotations and one day when he used the âch**kâ word, I was so angry I ran towards him and mimicked a flying drop kick like Bruce Lee did in films. My foot landed on his chest and he fell over. The lunch monitor asked what happened and he was taken to the principalâs office. I didnât get in trouble that day which said a lot to me. And thatâs not being in support of violence at all, it was the school being against racism. Being brought up at Eglinton/Oriole Parkway area, we were one of only two Chinese families on the street at that time....it was an interesting time.
What's the story behind the piece Enjoy? It makes me wonder how Chinatowns in Canada have changed.
âEnjoyâ was specifically made for my father as he was part owner of the infamous Lichee Garden Restaurant on Elizabeth Street in the original Chinatown on Dundas between Bay and University in the 60âs. It was my grandfather and his friend who opened the restaurant and then both my parents became part owners.
The Dairy Queen ice cream bowling pins are out of control, how does it tie into the story about your dad and brother?
The DQ bowling pin was about a family ritual when my dad was either off work or came home early. It was part of our Sunday drives or early evening after dinner drives in the summer and chocolate sundaes were my favourite only because I wasnât big enough to eat a whole banana split. The piece âNice Cream is about the joy of the ice cream truck that frequented neighbourhoods and all the kids and mothers who ran out to greet it.Â
What is your connection to Astroboy, Charlie Brown and Felix the cat?
I loved reading comics and watching cartoons with characters like Mickey Mouse, Felix the Cat, Astro Boy only to name a few....it was Charles Schulz and the Peanuts who inspired me greatly to want to be a cartoonist (all I could think of was being a female Bruce Lee and to draw cartoons all day, or a ninja cartoonist, as I would call it now). In grade six, we had to write an essay of a famous person so i drew my essay about Charles Schulz and the Peanuts and I remember getting an A+. I did have a cartoon strip in England for Woolworths called âWoolly Talesâ for their in-store magazine which was super fun and even though i didnât grow up to be the next Schulz, it was pretty cool to have a comic strip for a bit.
Why do you use the shape of the bowling pin for these pieces?
I chose the bowling pins first and foremost as it was part of my fathers and my oldest brotherâs story.
And so the story goes, my mother was giving birth to my oldest brother, Charles at Womanâs College Hospital in 1960. On that very same day my dad had the Bowling Tournament Finals so he went to play and while my mother gave birth to a brand new baby boy, the hospital called the bowling alley to find my father and told him the news and cigars were bought for everyone on the Lichee Gardenâs Bowling Team. The idea to work with the pins was to pay homage to my brother who passed away 6 years ago and my father who passed away just two years ago. The shape of the bowling pins emulate the human form in a caricature way so well, the pins became my diary of sorts.
What kind of wood is it?
The pins are made out of hardwood. I purchased them from a  gentlemen who was part of a demolition crew of the Oshawa Bowling Alley. He had stored these pins for over 30 years. I bought approximately 90 bowling pins from him.
Are you any good at bowling nowadays? When was the last time you struck out?
I last bowled when I was in my 20s at the Danforth Bowl. I cannot remember how I did but as most Asians, I probably did relatively well as being âhigh achieversâ seems to be part of the Chinese repertoire in me.
