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Tula Jeng

@tulajeng

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🌴los angeles
🪩 digital creator
🪐 alter ego @jupiterfong

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Last year, I visited Nashville for the first time. I saw this hat at STAG Provisions, and the salesperson told me it was for a local sandlot baseball club called the “Nashville Dollys.” Dolly was everywhere in Nashville and it was beautiful to behold.

Seeing all of the tributes to Dolly Parton today shows how one person can touch the lives of so many through music, generosity, rhinestones, an iconic voice, philanthropy, drag, scholarships, good wigs, and kickass songwriting — all while helping to fund medical research and hospitals, investing in Black neighborhoods, allying with LGBTQ communities, and donating 330 million books to children. All of that musical talent. All of that humanity. Forever and ever, we will miss you, Dolly. 🕊️💕🎶 #DollyParton taken in Nashville, Tennessee by @tulajeng

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2 months ago

To my fellow Asians, we have so much work to do. First and foremost — we must condemn anti-Black racism. We must dismantle it within our community.

14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton should be alive today and thriving. Instead he was chased down by store owner Rick Chow after being wrongfully accused of stealing a bottle of water. Chow shot Cyrus in the back. Last week, a court found Chow not guilty of murder.

I condemn the actions of Rick Chow and do not agree with his acquittal.

Black Lives Matter. Cyrus Carmack-Belton mattered. Say his name.

I have lost relationships within my family after confronting their anti-Black racism and bigotry. That’s how much they want to hold onto it.

This week I am seeing Asian people online celebrating the acquittal of Rick Chow. It’s sickening and reprehensible.

Fellow Asian Americans, we are not innocent bystanders in white supremacy. We have the agency and duty to dismantle it.

Finally, I do not want to hear you demanding to “Stop Asian Hate” if you are perpetuating anti-Black racism and hate.

(Note: I posted this to Threads a few days ago and it really brought out the r@cists Asians. Anyone making anti-Black comments here will be deleted and blocked.) by @tulajeng

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4 months ago

You might not think of Los Angeles as a place to see Confederate monuments, but a collection of these statues are currently on view at the MONUMENTS exhibition at MOCA Geffen downtown and the Brick in Hollywood. These monuments are decommissioned — and many bear the physical marks of their removal. Some were spray-painted during protests over the past decade. Others were melted down. One was completely disassembled and rearranged by artist Kara Walker.

MONUMENTS asks what kind of power remains when these statues come down from their pedestals. Seeing them face-to-face, you’re reminded how memory, ideology, and white supremacy have literally been cast in bronze and marble for generations. You’re forced to question who these figures represented, who told their stories, who built these pieces of propaganda, and who finally took them down.

Co-curator Hamza Walker put it best: “The monuments coming down was, to me, the biggest thing happening. It registered across the board — socially, culturally, historically, politically. I read it as: are we ready to have a certain kind of discussion as a nation? One that had been delayed, deferred, hinted at over the course of our lifetimes? The idea that we would actually be ready to address the legacy of slavery by addressing the Lost Cause was huge.” He added: “I don’t think MONUMENTS is a contentious show. This is what art can do. If you let it.”

In addition to the statues, the exhibition features powerful works by contemporary artists in response to the monuments — from a sculpture of a Black child holding a small Confederate soldier and his horse by its tail, to a moving short film featuring opera singer Davóne Tines mourning the victims of the 2015 Mother Emanuel AME Church shooting.

Today is the last day to see Monuments in Los Angeles. I wish this were a permanent and ongoing exhibition. May these statues continue to come down — and may we continue to bear witness, and grow, from their removal.

#Monuments #MOCA #TheBrick #BlackHistory #contemporaryart A massive bronze equestrian statue of a Confederate generals Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson on horseback is displayed on the floor of MOCA’s museum gallery with a wood-beamed ceiling. I stand in a tan jacket stands in front of it. I am as tall as the horse’s leg. taken in The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA by @tulajeng

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6 months ago

100 artists walk into a former 99¢ Store — and the result is a wondrous, chaotic pop-up show filled with original art, live silkscreening, zine-making, freezer displays, collected ephemera, vintage wonders, and aisles upon aisles of one-of-a-kind works.

This particular 99¢ building holds a special place in my heart. In the early aughts, I lived down the block, and it was my go-to store for wrapping paper, party supplies, and colorful kitchen wares. The store eventually closed, but in 2025 the space temporarily reopened as a mutual aid hub, collecting and distributing resources for Angelenos impacted by the fires and recent ICE raids.

I hope this space continues to serve the community, its families, its artists, and everything that makes this city special.

Thank you to artist Barry McGee, @theholenyc, and @jeffreydeitchgallery for bringing the 99¢ Art Show together!

👉🏼 Today is the final day of the 99¢ Show. Stop by from 11am–6pm. Next to Bernie’s Coffee Shop, across from the Academy Museum.

🗺️ 6121 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles.

✌🏼 Admission is free!

#99cents #barrymcgee #friezela #artinla #contemporaryart I wear a patterned dress while walking down an aisle inside a large indoor market filled with paintings, sculptures, and collectibles. Black-and-white prints of hands making gestures hang overhead in rows. Bright fluorescent lighting and blue floor stripes lead the eye toward colorful art displays in the distance. taken in 99 Cents Only Stores by @tulajeng

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8 months ago

I asked Steve and Ziggy if they would be my Valentine and they said YES! So thrilled to have a special @garybaseman Mystery Surprise BFF Valentine original in hand. Here’s to embracing big hearts amongst friends, lovers, family, pets, neighbors, community, and dreamers! Happy Valentine’s Day! 💝🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛💝 #valentine #bffforever #caturday #valentinecard A heart-shaped card with a red line drawing of two cartoon cats is displayed against a pink background. Illustration my Gary Baseman. The cats are playfully engaging in a pillow fight. The simple composition highlights the whimsical illustration and Valentine theme. by @tulajeng

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8 months ago

Caught them taking down this billboard in Highland Park, so I’m playing my video in reverse because the message still stands: F*ck ICE. Los Angeles stands in solidarity with Minnesota, Portland, NY, Chicago, Maine, and everyone targeted by the secret police and this fascist regime. Remember, there are more of us than there are of them. We keep us safe. Whistles out. Abolish ICE.

#iceout #iceoutofla #abolishice #nela taken in Highland Park by @tulajeng

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9 months ago

This year has been…a lot. But, it ended with lots of love, cookies, kitties, vintage vinyl, snowboarding at the Grove, cheer, and the glorious return of Le Poisson Steve. Here are some sweet holiday moments. Thankful for the joy. Here’s to a new year ✨❤️✨ taken in Los Angeles, California by @tulajeng

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10 months ago

Happy Halloween from Brad Majors and Janet Weiss! As newlyweds, all we want to be is amongst friends…or sane persons. But alas, we have arrived at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. This year marks the 50th anniversary for the Rocky Horror Picture Show and @cinespia celebrated with props, party favors, and special appearance by Barry Bostwick and Tim Curry. Toast was tossed, Meatloaf was served, the Time Warp was danced, and Dr. Frank-N-Furter himself reminded us to “Don’t dream it. Be it.” Here’s to “being it,”fellow earthlings! To start, remember, it’s just jump to the left! 🫦💄👠🎃

(Our Time Warp dance was recorded at LA’s Haunted Hayride — before dark! During the day, you can walk around some of the Hayride sets before they become too haunted. 👻🤡.)

#rockyhorror #happyhalloween #rhps #timewarp #rockyhorrorpictureshow #dammitjanet #HauntedHayride #HollywoodForever #70scinema #HollywoodForeverCemetery taken in Hollywood Forever by @tulajeng

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a year ago

It’s my birthday today! This Scorpio Season is all about harnessing energy, casting spells, casting votes, random dancing, hexing fascists, and stepping inside of rainbows wherever they may appear. Let’s do this! 🌈♏️ 🪄✨ #ScorpioSeason #OlafurEliasson #moca #SevenMagicMountians An Asian- American woman (me!) in a light blue dress stands against a plain wall illuminated by a vivid rainbow of light, smiling softly as the colors wash over her. The rainbow creates a dreamy, ethereal effect on the minimalist background. by @tulajeng

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a year ago

Los Angeles- I love you! No Kings is a reminder that being anti-fascist is an American tradition.

Standing in community with neighbors, parents, musicians, organizers, food vendors, pets, journalists, artists, and inflatable creatures is one way movements get built. But, it’s just a step. What’s next? Let’s turn that momentum into action.

👉🏼 Californians - Vote YES on Prop 50. Passing Prop 50 on November 4 will cancel out Texas’s attempt to steal five seats and give us a fighting chance to stop Trump and his regime from maintaining total power for two more years. Voting ends on 11/4 — so vote now.

👉🏼 Support frontline orgs and mutual aid networks such as @carecen_la and @mutualaidnetwork.

👉🏼 Protect our community against ICE. Support, join, and donate to groups in your area who have been on the ground organizing for years. Follow them. @chirla_org @seiuca @unitedwedream @immdef_lawcenter @aclu_socal @caimmigrant

👉🏼 Adopt a day labor corner and join a community watch group. We keep us safe. Train with @daylaborernetwork.

👉🏼 Use @5calls to make one call a day on issues you care about most. Calls get tallied daily and have a remarkably huge impact on how politicians vote and legislate.

👉🏼 Build progressive grassroots power. Join @indivisibleteam and @workingfamilies. Choose your fighter(s) and back electeds and candidates who boldly stand up to authoritarianism and fight for people over corporations.

👉🏼 Continue to show up for demonstrations, marches, protests, and rallies. Listen to the speakers. Share their stories.

👉🏼 Meet your neighbors. Protect neighbors who are targeted by this cruel administration.

👉🏼 Create subversive art and random acts of joy.

👉🏼 Read banned books. Share banned books.

Keep going! And remember, fascists get scratches. 🐾👊🏼

#NoICE #abolishice #NoKings #YesOnProp50 #nokingsday #PortlandFrog #IceOutOfLA A No Kings crowd marches down a sunny city street in downtown Los Angeles holding protest signs and flags. At the center, a smiling Asian woman in a white dress walks beside someone in a large inflatable frog costume with a blue scarf. The atmosphere feels lively and spirited, with people united in the demonstration. taken in Downtown Los Angeles by @tulajeng

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a year ago

Wow. Wow. Wow. The Noah Davis retrospective at the @hammer_museum is a powerful reminder of how art can hold both intimacy and revolution.

Davis’s paintings capture everyday, California-rooted Black life with touches of magical realism. The show highlights the many things that shaped his work: family stories, ancient Egypt, art history, architecture, reality TV, and vintage photographs.

Davis passed away at just 32 from a rare cancer, but he never stopped painting. With his wife, artist Karon Davis, he founded the Underground Museum in LA’s historically Black and Latino neighborhood of Arlington Heights. Its mission was to bring world-class art into the community, to make it accessible, and to let art become part of everyday life. Davis once said he wanted “to change the way that people view art, the way people buy art, the way people make art.” The Underground Museum was also a gathering place with a bar, music, readings, and a vibrant garden for events.

When I visited the Underground Museum in 2017, the sign above the door read: “We deserve to see ourselves elevated.” It felt both sacred and innovative — a space where art and community belonged to each other. The Hammer retrospective carries that same spirit where art and community come alive together.

If you’re in LA, don’t miss it! Exhibition closes tomorrow, August 31st, at the Hammer Museum. Admission is free.

Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90024

#NoahDavis #HammerMuseum #TheUndergroundMuseum #ArtInLA #LAArtScene
#ContemporaryArt #BlackArtists #ArtAndCommunity taken in Hammer Museum by @tulajeng

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a year ago

I’m grateful to have experienced “Amy Sherald: American Sublime” at @SFMOMA earlier this year. Sherald’s show highlights “the wonder of what it is to be a Black American, rendering a rich and unconstrained Black world in vibrant Technicolor.”

In April, the exhibition traveled to the Whitney and was slated to open at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery this September — a historic first for a contemporary Black artist. But in July, Sherald withdrew after learning the museum was considering removing her portrait “Trans Forming Liberty” in response to Trump’s anti-trans mandates.

This censorship by the Smithsonian is both infuriating and cowardly. When cultural institutions cave to political intimidation and bow to authoritarianism, they uphold the very power structures that art so often seeks to challenge, expose, and dismantle. When the Smithsonian censors a painting of a Black, trans-femme person posing as the Statue of Liberty, I can’t help but wonder whose America is being told and whose is being erased.

At the Whitney, Sherald said: “Erasure is happening. It’s happening in so many different ways, and this is the only way that I know that I can do something about it. In this time, in this moment, this painting — it needs to be witnessed. Trans bodies need to be witnessed.”

Much like her art, Amy Sherald’s words are powerful, resilient, beautiful, and transformative. I hope more people will one day experience Trans Forming Liberty and American Sublime, in full, in community, exactly as Sherald intended.

#amysherald #artnews #sfmoma #blackartists #transrightsarehumanrights #artispolitical #contemporaryart #smithsonian #transrights #statueofliberty #whitneymuseum I stand facing Amy Sherald’s monumental portrait “Trand Forming Liberty” of a Black trans woman with dark skin, pink hair, and a bright cobalt blue gown holding a bouquet-shaped torch, set against a soft pink background. taken in SFMOMA San Francisco Museum of Modern Art by @tulajeng

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a year ago