Growing up as the oldest daughter in a first-generation Asian American household came with a multitude of high expectations, culturally, socially, and economically - none of which I met - as a genderqueer artist searching for other forms of personal fulfillment. I often found solace in both the creation and the consumption of art, as it functioned as my escape from the war-traumatized, conservative, and repressive family I grew up in. My pursuit of art meant that I had to choose between satisfying Chinese-American cultural expectations and my own desire to express myself in a non-judgmental artistic space, and I chose the latter. As a result of my growing self-alienation with my Chinese heritage, I now feel the urge to slowly rebuild my own definition of what it means to be a Chinese American and reconnect with parts of my identity in the process. I see the sense of community in other Chinese American families, understand the history of China and feel a responsibility to alleviate the pain it causes, and acknowledge the people in my community that welcome me with open arms, regardless of whether or not I fit the mold for the “ideal Chinese woman.” Through my art, I strive to create a bridge between my culture and my evolving sense of self, becoming a product of my environment in the liminal space between migrating generations.
My long-term artistic investigation explores the aspects that make up the human experience - the expansiveness of our spectrum of emotion, the influence of generational trauma in our perception of the present, and the interactions between an individual and their culture. To what extent do emotions transcend social boundaries? What constitutes our sense of self, and how does it correspond with those around us? How does our upbringing and the culture we immerse ourselves in affect our expectations, behaviors, and interpersonal relationships? Each work is an introspection - an examination of my own psyche, but also a broader statement - an exploration of how the patterns we see within ourselves serve as microcosms of the total human experience. I search for beauty in shared emotional experience, exposing the root of our existence and ultimately searching for the core of what defines our humanity.
My ambition is driven by inquiry and is motivated by artistic influence, cultivated from both traditional and contemporary references. I return to my own heritage - examining classic Chinese imagery and translating it into experimental paintings, print editions, and works on paper that straddle the components of realism and abstraction. I paint for the gestural expression the medium offers me, print for the power of editions and the accessibility they provide, and draw in respect to the fluidity of draftsmanship it has been used for historically. The mediums I work in reflect the characteristics of both their histories and their functionality. I utilize extensive metaphors in my work - the color red as a reference to the color of luck in Chinese tradition, animals as a stand-in for emotional turmoil and generational burdens, and human figures as a testament to my humanity and fragility. Through experimentation in my work, I attempt to find solace in the space between incoherency and understanding, where art flourishes in the telephone game between the intent of the artist and the interpretation of the audience. This body of work serves as a dialogue between myself and my environment - my culture, my community, and my audience, becoming an open conversation sustained through the need to understand one another through a cohesive visual language.