Yellow, white, red, brown, black. We gravitate towards these categories of color in order to separate ourselves. But what happens when those categories become invaded, mixed, and combined?
Biracial, multicultural, race- These groups stem from being born in a society that obsesses with categorizing. I too am obsessed with categories, and I learned this from my mother. I keep the white clothes with the white, separating colors by their inherent hue and value on the rainbow. My paints are organized in the same way. What are the consequences of our society’s rigid structure with race do to those who are restrained by it?
“Asian women are obedient. I heard Asians have tight pussies. They are so sexy and submissive. I love Asian chicks.”
I am Korean and White. My father was born in Seoul, Korea, and came here when he was five; my mother grew up in a small town right outside of Springfield, IL. Obviously, they are from very different backgrounds: and I am a blend of both of them. Through oil and paint, I explore my personal heritage and the regrets that I have involving my personal disassociation from my culture. I am Korean, but I view the world through white lenses. However, the white world views me as Korean and continues to remind me of that every day.
Blue, green, purple, pink. Colors that haven’t been co-opted into racial categorization. Perhaps that’s why I feel so close to blue in particular. Blue isn’t used to constrain or define who someone is. Blue is free to simply mean human. Let’s find ways to become closer to that.
Thank you!
DadWithGrandparents_Seoul1960s.jpeg, 2023.