Paintings originally made for an exhibit led by Aaron Johnson Ortiz, that was unfortunately canceled due to the pandemic.
This series features individuals from three different generations and cultural communities who were (at the time) organizing and based in Minneapolis, MN: Seiji Eicher, Anh-Thu Pham, and Tita Glen King. The project focused on how each subject saw themselves as agents of change and movement building in their specific time and space — their generation positionality.
After the exhibition was canceled, I didn’t touch the paintings for almost two years. In that time pandemic and uprising drastically shifted the realities of life for those in Minneapolis and in the greater Asian American community. In 2022, I finished the portraits, not for exhibition, but for Seiji, Anh, and Glen to have as a reflection of themselves in 2019. Each subject picked a quote that reflected themselves and their journey at this critical juncture in time. I think this shift reflects my own interest in moving from generalized themes to more specific and personal narratives. I cherish this project and the deep internal processes the portraits now reflect.
