I live at the intersection of my AAPI (Korean) identity and my faith. The more complex these layers become, the more red tapes I feel in my queer identity. Most times these red tapes feel binding and unfair. Why do I have to take an extra moment to process longer than others? How come they don't ask "Is it because I'm Asian?" AND "Do they know I'm queer?"? But once I stopped resisting, and allowed myself to fall in love with my layers and the depth of thought I was born to have, the more freeing I feel as I embrace myself. Joy is queer, Joy is Korean American. Joy is beautiful.
- Artwork description:
The first piece is a wedding of two women wearing a Korean traditional clothing "Hanbok". The braided hair, v-neck collar, and half bow added with a veil signifies purity, new beginning and connection to tradition. This non-heteronormative marriage in the context of my AAPI background is rare, but shows that it is possible.
The second piece is of two women secretly holding hands at church, a place I grew up and still consider myself a part of. I brought my very first girlfriend to church and we saw all other heterosexual couples holding hands during worship, but understood that there was a nonverbal rule that we weren't allowed to do the same. We both wanted to hold hands secretly, but she was afraid of what others might think of us and for my safety. Church is one of the most important places in my life, yet a place I'm still struggling to find belonging and being my most authentic self, so the rejection I receive feels even more hurtful.
The third piece is a contrast between traditionally masculine and feminine. Blue represents what we in the West have deemed as a "boy" color, and pink a "girl color. The flow into purple in the middle shows that this is a spectrum, not a binary. The left side of the face shows harsher lines, an angular jaw, thicker eyebrow, while the right shows makeup, thinner eyebrows, and longer hair. If it means being my most authentic self, I'm not afraid of growing against the grain to seek and create the middle space, as well as the space beyond the binary.
- Artwork description:
The first piece is a wedding of two women wearing a Korean traditional clothing "Hanbok". The braided hair, v-neck collar, and half bow added with a veil signifies purity, new beginning and connection to tradition. This non-heteronormative marriage in the context of my AAPI background is rare, but shows that it is possible.
The second piece is of two women secretly holding hands at church, a place I grew up and still consider myself a part of. I brought my very first girlfriend to church and we saw all other heterosexual couples holding hands during worship, but understood that there was a nonverbal rule that we weren't allowed to do the same. We both wanted to hold hands secretly, but she was afraid of what others might think of us and for my safety. Church is one of the most important places in my life, yet a place I'm still struggling to find belonging and being my most authentic self, so the rejection I receive feels even more hurtful.
The third piece is a contrast between traditionally masculine and feminine. Blue represents what we in the West have deemed as a "boy" color, and pink a "girl color. The flow into purple in the middle shows that this is a spectrum, not a binary. The left side of the face shows harsher lines, an angular jaw, thicker eyebrow, while the right shows makeup, thinner eyebrows, and longer hair. If it means being my most authentic self, I'm not afraid of growing against the grain to seek and create the middle space, as well as the space beyond the binary.
