Selected Work Yellow, 2025 

In Western culture, the word ‘yellow’ has been associated with cowardly behavior for hundreds of years. This contrasts with yellow’s place as a royal color in China reserved for emperors. After ‘yellow’ became shorthand for Asians, race and behavior became intermingled. This body of work contends with Asian cultural attitudes toward remaining silent in the face of hardship.

At Chinese American funerals I’ve attended, butterscotch candies are given to attendees in a small white envelope (see related booklet Eat Bitterness); the candy is something sweet to eat before going home to leave bitterness behind. I turn to the candy wrappers, also meant to be left behind, and instead bring them to the forefront. Embedded in resin or photographed like scientific artifacts, they overwhelm the viewer with vibratory color. These items are accompanied by a pile of candy and an empty jar.

Upon encountering the work, people are invited to eat the candy and confront their own feelings around grief. They can leave the wrapper in the jar to mingle with others or take it home for further reflection. After this process, what remains and what is discarded? Is quietly enduring adversity a cowardly act or an example of strength and courage? I hope to start a conversation about the value of quiet suffering, its assumed and actual place in Asian culture, and physical and mental health repercussions that span generations.