photography – Houyee Chow

A year ago this show looked completely different in my head and then the pandemic hit. Life can change in an instant and the show I had been planning for 2 years fell short. I thought about giving up and canceling everyday, but I kept thinking about how important this was for me. I decided to completely change direction and picked up my sketchbook to start anew. I found myself in a state of sadness and mourning from the loss of loved ones due to COVID related issues. I realized that I needed a space to feel sad in order to heal and I wanted to create this space for myself and everyone else. My show is named “Melancholy” from all the feelings that have come from the pandemic. I hope this space allows you to feel sad and pensive, so you start your healing process like it has started mine.

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This triptych is called What does being American mean? The first image is called “I am Black, I am me.” The second image is called “I am Mexican, I am me.” The third image is called “I am Chinese, I am me.” My work is about being culturally different, belonging neither here nor there. It’s an exploration of having unusual backgrounds and cultures living in America. It’s a statement about what it’s like to be different from everyone around you. I wish to question the social structures of categories and why we are forced to fall into racial categories. To shed a light on stereotypes and show the inaccuracies in them. I want to show that in the end we are all just humans.