This collection began as a way of melding the two  visual cultures, Chinese and American, which have influenced me as a person. Thus I created this character whose name is based on the one given to me by the orphanage I lived at in China. My Chinese name is 国茶首 (guo cha shou) which can be translated as "head of tea," so I named the spirit of my collection "TeaHead." While the character is based on my experiences as a transracial adoptee, TeaHead's journey is a more simplified version of mine. I personally recognize there are some aspects of my culture I will not completely understand due to the lack of immersion growing up.

 

I give credit to my (adoptive) parents especially my mom for trying to keep me connected to my heritage as a child (reading books about China and its mythology and celebrating Chinese New Year) though at one point it became my own responsibility to continue to learn. When I went to school in NYC, where I met a lot of Chinese international students, I realized my relationship to my heritage was very different from theirs. This collection was a way for me to continue to investigate the visual culture of my heritage  as well as recognizing how much America has played into shaping who I am.