Artist Statement

Given America’s history of enslaving Black Americans, Asian Americans are a relatively privileged minority. Asian Americans usually are not targeted by law enforcement and have higher rates of college completion amongst American minorities, but we are not exempt from treatment as the “other.” Through my collection, I illustrate and embrace what makes us the other by emphasizing the inaccuracy of the one-dimensional label, “model minority.”

In light of how social media has critically transformed the way people communicate ideas, issues surrounding how America treats its people of color reach a larger audience more quickly and directly. In my jewelry and wearable art, I strive to use the power of relatability in the way that popular content in digital media captures the attention of thousands and millions. Ultimately, by creating art and media that Asian Americans find relatable, I aim to establish a position in pop culture for Asian Americans.

While my influence largely originates from my identity as a Chinese American woman, my craft also draws from the influence of contemporary jewelry and sculpture. My craft is heavily based in metalsmithing, but my work is not entirely defined as wearable jewelry. The pieces that are wearable address specific parts of the body that emphasize the pieces’ concepts. The pieces that are not wearable represent non-jewelry objects whose contexts I evolve by presenting them in the jewelry setting. I want my work to expand beyond form and function, without excluding diligent consideration of these elements, into sociopolitical, socioeconomic, and overall cultural conversation.