ABOUT

In “Cultural Dissonance Diptych, I explore my own intersectionality and feeling of alienation from culture. The things I do, the things I like, the way I look, my queerness, my Hawaiian heritage, my Northwestern identity, they all put me at a crossroads where it feels as though I will never be fully accepted by any one community. What is loved and accepted by one group of people is foreign and strange to another.

Everything included in this diptych has shaped who I am as a person. My Hawaiian roots, the music I grew up listening to, the shows and games I watch, my superficial love of tigers, my family’s history with sharks, my favorite sugary drink, they all hold facets of me. Separated though they may feel, both to myself and others, to see me you must see everything.

“Not on the Same Page” was created as a companion piece to “Cultural Dissonance Diptych.” I wanted to work with the same subject matter, but skimmed down to just the elements I was most drawn to. Unlike the diptych, which was very planned out, I went into this piece almost right away with paint, without much of a sketch.