In my sculptures, I look at the interactions in my life that formed aspects of my identity: the connection to China, one I feel inherently connected to because of the ways in which physical appearance affects the way I'm perceived, and my immersion in the American South. I combine these life experiences with a series of interviews I did with other Asian adoptees. I chose to use the aluminum rectangular pieces to create these structures because they remind me of windows into rooms I’ve learned to inhabit. The connections and seams of the structures are left in the open, just as my experiences clearly define how my identity has developed over time. The lighting and interlocking pieces highlight specific narrative images, while also preventing access to certain parts of the story which require the audience to engage with the sculpture in order to view them. In the precarious, dynamic forms, I reference the contrast between exterior spaces: America’s openness and extroverted qualities, versus the internal, sturdy, vibrant, but more private spaces explored during my time in China. These two styles can be found in both countries, as art and culture flow both ways, but I find the contrast between the two architectural styles to mirror the way I’ve structured my identity. 

In Lost In..., I look at my experiences in China; examining aspects of Chinese art and culture that have represented or been a stepping off point for my identity.

In 平衡, I use photographs taken at assorted sites around Austin that reflect aspects of Chinese American life and how I fit, or fail to fit, into them. I us a linear structure to show how unfolding my identity is the only way for me to be able to write myself into the narrative.

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Cloud forms, based on the patterns in Chinese silk brocade, are thematically understood to be a place between the heavens and earth, associated with change. The suspended forms cast shadows that move over and through the space, interacting with both the structures and the viewer.