Vagabonds
30 x 40 in (h x w)
Acrylic on stretched canvas

I honor my Asian and nonbinary identity by telling stories of resiliency and solidarity. I investigate masculine stereotypes in our patriarchal society and offer counter-narratives of vulnerability as strength. I'm interested in remixing Asian iconography to dismantle the model minority myth. I'm exploring queerness through scenes of social deviance and otherness through anthropomorphic creatures. I make surreal images of people close to me, pop culture references and my own self-image as protagonists in narratives about bias, power and the joy of nonconformity.

Vagabonds is a gathering of close friends, wearing devil horns. The painting addresses the history of queerness viewed as social deviance as the red brings figures in and out of darkness. The deviousness is embraced as a community like a litmus test for those who want to join the party. The name "Vagabonds" also symbolizes transition in terms of gender identity, physical relocation and multiculturalism.

More from Touchstone Gallery, since 1976