The constant onslaught of Anti-Asian hate crimes during the early months of 2021 has disheartened many – within the Asian community, as well as in the general population. Yet this is not a new phenomenon; racism and xenophobia have been social problems since long before the 2021 hate crimes ever occurred. It is the cultural circumstances of these crimes – current as well as historical – which have inspired my current project, Asian Misidentification. This project aims to debunk how different Asian ethnicities are perceived and assigned to a particular discriminatory bubble. Although each individual’s story may differ in specifics, all are connected by the same thread, which is that the majority of people still appear to believe the statement, “all Asians look the same”.

As a person of Asian descent witnessing recent current events, I have felt strongly that the miscommunication which often arises from stereotyping is an important topic to explore. A project speaking to this dynamic might uncover – and help others to understand – the feelings of loss and hurt, the trauma, and the invisible scars, which can thereby be unwittingly inflicted. Asian Misidentification is a conversation which lays bare stereotyping as the dehumanizing act which it is. This set of images are a ‘call to action’, inserting viewers into the realities of featured individuals, and allowing them to see on a deeper level, how harmful stereotypical assumptions are – to any minority group. Asian Misidentification is a set of eight diptychs, each of which pairs a portrait of an individual with their written personal experience of being misrepresented. Such fundamental misunderstandings arise from damaging myths and beliefs, and an unfortunate chunk of history which continues today. I hope my project will provide viewers with a better perspective from which to view recent attacks on Asians, and thereby inspire Anti-racism.