Statement

 Traditional and historical functions of printmaking, particularly woodcuts, are political and democratic by the nature of the medium.  Woodcuts' strong graphic qualities, ability to make multiple images, and folk art heritage, places it at the forefront of many political and commercial campaigns.  It is from this heritage I produce multiples in the oldest form of image reproduction. It allows me the right tools for a thorough critique on the economies surrounding culture, visual arts, mass media and the worldwide dissemination of images.
       
I define my identity within a commodity culture instead of an east- west dialogue.  The work constantly explores my ability and right to push the boundaries of cultural representation, constantly walking the fine line between appropriation and symbolic violence. My pieces combine images of my family, travels, and experiences as a person of color in this era of multiculturalism with a commercial, mass media driven visual language. By exploiting commercial definitions of Asian-ness, I am confronting dominant society's cultural fetishism, the imposition of exotic "otherness" and the  exploitation and commodification of culture.
   
   Looking at printmaking as a social practice, making multiples allows me to exchange and give away work at my disclosure, exploring the meaning of labor and value in artwork.