GROUNDED
Linda and Mother Mee Yen “Wan” Moy framed archival pigment print, synthetic adhesive vinyl 7' x 15' 2024
Anna and Grandfather Kuniji Tamura, Matsutake Hunters Three archival pigment prints, 24" x 40" 2024
Michelle D’Cruz with her Father and Sister archival pigment print, photographic wallpaper, daisies 30" x 65" 2024
Kathy Nguyen held by her Mother Kieu Luong, and Aunts Thuy Luong, Tan Nguyen, Trang Luong, and Trinh Luong Two archival pigment prints 36" x 30" 2024
In the wake of the Atlanta Spa Shootings, I began a portrait project uplifting the immigration journey of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) families and the womxn who are the backbone of these communities. Our identities are shrouded in the stereotypes of seductress or trickster. AAPI womxn are invisible in Western daily culture, being relegated “the help” or excluded as “forever foreigners.” We only surface in the public’s mind when extremes of international relations such as Covid-19 or hate crimes against us occur.
Through portraits and landscapes these stereotypes fall away and the subjects are solidly planted in American culture. AAPI womxn hold family photographs of their migrant forebearers. These personal journeys range from fleeing the Chinese Cultural Revolution to coming to the US for college. In some cases, the first individual of the family immigrated at the turn of the 20th century and has consequent five generations of Americans in their families. In other cases, parents brought the participant as an infant child. The photograph within the photograph visually represents time and legacy. Landscapes in wallpaper, framed images, or other manifestations are paired with the portraits. The imagery is from U.S. locations important to the women portrayed, creating a connection to place and exposing familial roots of Americanism.