Ings, WelbyHarris, MiriamChooi, Don Yew Li2017-06-152017-06-15201720172017https://hdl.handle.net/10292/10551This practice-led artistic inquiry takes the form of an 80-page, scripted and illustrated graphic novel. Creatively, the work is concerned with the narratisation of a largely autobiographical voice through the juxtaposition of word, image, and decompression story telling. The narrative draws heavily upon certain experiences I had, growing up in Malaysia and moving to New Zealand. In this journey, I began to identify as an Asian gay man within the bear culture. Specifically, the novel and exegesis unpack the nature of belonging as both a concern of ethnicity and sexual orientation. In doing so, it draws upon recent discourse surrounding non-western considerations of gay masculinity, filial obligations and notions of the ‘chosen family’.enGayAsianMaleAutobiographyGraphicNovelImmigrantNew ZealandIllustrationStorytellingMasculinityFilial pietyArtNarrativeMalaysiaBearIdentityCulturalSexualGay bearGay Asian maleGraphic novelGay masculinityChosen familyKinshipThesis/DissertationOpenAccess2017-06-14