Ailongam

The work titled Ailongam is my name, Magnolia, spelled backward. It is dedicated to my life experience as a Chinese-American caught between two cultures and identities. I depicted a picture of my younger self at age three, carrying my dad's camera bag, which is double my size and weighing me down. I am in the center of the painting, while the background features an upside-down scene of America—a rainy Times Square—and the inverted cityscape of my hometown, Shanghai, China. This composition displays my conflict of identity, juxtaposing the vibrant chaos of New York City with the familiar yet distant landscapes of Shanghai. The oversized camera bag symbolizes the weight of heritage and expectations I carry, caught between two worlds, reflecting my ongoing journey to understand and reconcile my cultural identity. I stick strips of cellophane wrap on the painting in a way that the orderly strips turn messy at the end, leaving an interpretation of assimilation or disorientation.