by Aster Hung
Category: Illustrations
Baachan’s Bar
Family Dinner
by Jaz
Color Bleed
Video Games
Li Xi
Nature/Nurture
Stray
by Yung Yang
I really wanted to express how strongly both parts of my identity are unique and at times incompatible in creating me as a person. Both are very distinctive so I wanted the styles to be unique to each identity. I used a paper cutout style for the Taiwanese side of my identity and American street art to represent the American side of me.
Beginnings
Integration
by AIzumi
I don’t think I have a piece like I’ve done for the zine so personal. It was a way to actually say something with my features on it. I wanted a piece that says THIS IS ME. I’ve always hinted, I’ve always shied away from it. But I took the chance and laid myself out there this time.
Untitled
by Lula Ochoa
When I was younger I participated in a traditional Korean dance academy. I used to dread going to class every week because it was on a Saturday (kid priorities), but looking back I’m so grateful I was able to participate in my culture and showcase it to others! This piece is a tribute to those days!
Chuseok
by Anna Choi
My piece depicts my family in traditional Korean wear called “hanbok” and has us celebrating Korean Thanksgiving, “chuseok” together. The composition is based off of Norman Rockwell’s iconic American Thanksgiving illustration.
Good Luck Bracelet (ຝ້າຍຜູກເເຂນ)
“Good Luck Bracelet” depicts the moment where the monks tie yarn bracelets around your wrists in the temple. These bracelets are tied on as a monk gives you good luck incantations, to give you success as well as to celebrate the new year.
Transplant
by Alicia Poon
Exploring the Diasporic Asian identities through textiles and the figures that interacts with them. The journey of defining and redefining each of our own heritage is never-ending, and there’s comfort to be found in knowing that there are so many of United States who are on their own journey as well, as different as theirs are.
Happy CNY
Fabric of Existence
A lady wearing an ao dai, a Vietnamese traditional dress, embroidered with cultural elements where an ao dai can be worn, emphasizing the influence Vietnamese traditional wear has had in my life.
Panimula Sa Aking Pagkabata
by Charizart
A collection of snacks and candies I grew up with as a Filipino kid in America
My Childhood Regret
Side Eye
by Sofie-An Nguyen
I don’t think I have ever seen artwork of an Asian person who wasn’t a traditional or historical figure, like a geisha or the buddha. To add something that I believed was currently missing from this collection, I settled on creating a portrait of something–or rather, someone– I had never seen in visual art: an Asian child. Surrounded by foliage, this nameless child of ambiguous Asian descent stands alone. Wearing a baggy sweatshirt and sporting long locks of straight black hair, she looks off to the side at whatever has caught her attention. Relaxed, she simply turns her head and forms the slightest of facial expressions, as if to ask, “What are you doing here?” or “Who are you?” As viewers look on, they will never know what she is glancing at, but the gleam in her eyes compels them to wonder. I used charcoal, a messy medium of blacks, whites, and grays, to create a stark contrast between this character and her environment. As I worked, the color and intensity of the sticks smeared, faded, and smudged in the progression of the piece. In the end, she is the center of our focus.
Worlds Apart/Everything
by Thanh Thai
Within these pieces, I wanted to reflect on my journey as an immigrant high schooler as opposed to my time spent as a Vietnamese middle schooler. Ultimately, I aim to communicate that despite these two versions of me are “worlds apart,” in a way, I’m still a young girl who meanders in the bustling city of Saigon, armed with a bike that is slightly too big for me. And my heritage, despite being far away from my motherland, is an intrinsic quality to my identity.
Little Star
I chose the moment that I asked my mom why I didn’t have a Korean name like my other Korean friends and family. This was a very important moment for me because it was kind of the start of me being affected by others around me telling me that I was different. I chose to portray this moment as more of a happy memory though, because I was able get a little closer to the person I felt I was when I received my Korean name that night.