I AM AMERICAN TOO

Mixed Media, 10” x 20”, completed in May 2019.

From the Artist:
“This piece is inspired by a jumble of things. First inspiration is Langston Hughes “I, Too, Am America” poem, where he beautifully exemplifies the lived experiences of racism on black bodies. I also wanted to do a visual representation of an Asian American experience in my own voice to combat all the ways: blatant, passive, erasure, complex and on the daily, we are forcefully viewed as perpetual foreigners, un-American & unseen. I still felt the need to acknowledge and showcase the pain and trauma as it is the foundation of history, resistance work and all the sacrifices made to just have a sense of belonging. At the same time, I wanted this to be overwhelmingly hopeful and healing, just like chrysanthemums to celebrate being Asian American.”