#asian-american-art

#asian-american-art

Wary of being labelled, many Asian Americans once believed that the safest way to enter the art world was by making their identities invisible. But invisibility is fragile. After the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965-which abolished the discriminatory national quotas that had defined US immigration policy since the 1920s-many Asian artists arrived in New York and entered an art world already defined by hierarchy. For decades thereafter, downplaying identity could feel like survival. But what we try to sidestep is never separate from us.

Tom's work highlights her family’s history in Chinatown, tackling painful legacies of trauma while maintaining a fierce commitment to the health and vitality of her community.