Description

My work manipulates traditional Chinese art objects and symbols as a way to deconstruct the assumptions we have about Asian American identity and cultural authenticity. By creating ceramic based sculptures and large scale installations, I explore what it means to be both Asian and American, while not being entirely accepted as either. Unpacking how experiences of immigration, cultural hybridity, and cultural assimilation become part of the larger American identity is central to my work. This work was made while I was in residency at Recology SF in 2017. I used discarded internet cables and zipties to create Chinese shaped vases. The process references the traditional ceramic method of coil building, while using the digital discards of the Bay Area. I also incorporated discarded bricks and construction material to speak to the flux of the ever changing neighborhoods and culture in the Bay Area.