Translucent Identity

Collaborative Project with Shiqi Wu
Media: hot foil paper and acrylic rod
Year: 2021

_{"Translucent Identity" is a
collaborative project with an artist, Shiqi Wu. In
this project, we thought about living as an Asian in America and how invisible
our identities are. We focused on the topic of "Microaggression," which
someone might think is trivial but not trivial. In the Oxford Languages
Dictionary, they defined “Microaggression” as follows.}_{A statement, action, or incident
regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination
against members of a marginalized group, such as a racial or ethnic minority}_{We surveyed on this topic and asked
people to share their experiences of micro-aggression. As a result, we were
able to hear a total of 26 responses, and their voices were included in our
flag, which was invisible but visible. How our stories are written on the flag
resembled our "Translucent Identity," which we can't see from a
distance, but we can when we pay close attention. Our little action may not be
visible or may not bring any change. But “CHANGE TAKES TIME.”

What I’ve learned while staying in America for three years was that "Not Racists" is not
enough, and we should be "Anti-racists." Rather than waiting for
others to hear our voice, we should break the silence to raise our voices so
that they could reach others as well. For some, the problem may be so
microscopic that it can be ignored and overlooked, but for some others, it can
be a life-long thought of "not belonging to anywhere." Through this
project, we hope to bring about small but big changes to eliminate
discrimination firmly rooted in our society, raising questions about these
issues, perhaps taken for granted and trivial.}