Kaasa Lobby

As a first-generation Chinese-Canadian, I am given the privilege of understanding and representing Asian culture. It is the culture of my parents, associated with my ethnicity, that I wish to understand beyond a superficial level. Ordinary scenes from everyday life serve as access points for understanding a culture, such as women preparing food, men sitting in the town square, and a child feeding pigeons. My artwork often combines storytelling with “reflective nostalgia”(Svetlana Boym).
 

Almost every small town in North America has a Chinese restaurant. It was one way to survive as an immigrant, since newcomers lacked experience, career connections, or English
skills. In this exhibition, I captured images from various Chinese restaurants around my city, including my family’s restaurant, documenting a common journey of Asian immigrants who came
to North America and had to start over.