Philosophy of Color

Medium: Acrylic and watercolor on paper

Size: 711.2x629.92mm or 28x24.8in

Date: 2018

Philosophy of Color refers to racial and demographic reports conducted by the 2010 US Census. Through colored pencil, watercolor and graphite, this work investigates the identities of L.A. immigrant communities and the borders between them. Borders, wage gaps and historical segregation give rise to a divided existence that persists to this day.

Each neighborhood is represented by the predominant demographic’s country flag. For example, I shade city blocks in red and gold to illustrate the Chinese American neighborhoods of Chinatown, Monterey Park and Cerritos. Red and gold are the same colors in the Chinese Five-star Red Flag. The work examines how immigrant families define themselves based on their countries of origin.

Marginal

Medium: Acrylic and colored pencil on creased paper

Size: 800.1x1073.15mm or 31.5x42.25in

Date: 2018

In Marginal, two opposing viewpoints coexist on the same picture plane—the car-centric view and the bus-rider view. Marginal is an object that must be opened or closed reveal a specific image. When closed, it shows Los Angeles freeways. When opened, it represents bus transit routes in greater Los Angeles. However, one cannot view both images at the same time. This work explores the ways that bus riders in L.A. are invisible beings in an altogether car-obsessed city.

416 METER JOURNEYS

Medium: Acrylic and watercolor on paper

Size: 385x525mm or 15.2x20.7in

Date: 2017

I was inspired by my experience riding the bus in Los Angeles to create 416 Meter Journeys. According to an article on The Economist, over 1.5 million bus riders took 416 meter journeys on the L.A. County bus and rail system in 2016. My work explores the ways that public transportation are impermanent. They are susceptible to changes in policy and public demand. Subject to constant revisions, bus and rail routes are always in flux.

Using red acrylic paint and the straight edge of a ruler, I draw tapering lines. These lines signify L.A. bus and rail routes. The lines are straight, but they also have bleeds and marks of imperfection.

A CITY MADE OF ONLY DIFFERENCES

Medium: Acrylic and ink on paper

Size: 553.7x990.6mm or 21.8x39in

Date: 2018

In A City Made of Only Differences, primary colors are layered over a map drawing of greater L.A. Each color represents a racial demographic as defined by the 2010 U.S. Census: red for Asian, blue for African American, and yellow for Latino. Each specific color’s placement on the map drawing corresponds to where that demographic resides. These findings are based on Dustin Cable’s 2013 Racial Dot Map.

My work explores how both racial segregation and intermixing are ever-present in the cityscape of Los Angeles. One can perceive color mixing through the layering of the reds, blues and yellows.

BLUEPRINT

Medium: Acrylic, colored pencil and graphite on creased paper

Size: 812.8x1125.2mm or 32x 44.3in

Date: 2018

I grew up in East Hollywood. East Hollywood, with its culture, people and spaces, appeared fixed and timeless in my young mind. As time passed, I realized the borders that served to separate East Hollywood from others were semipermeable: they allowed me to ride the bus past its borders to experience new traditions and beliefs.

In Blueprint, East Hollywood is abstracted to geometric shapes. Bus routes in East Hollywood are outlined in black, tracing each shape. The color that represent any single shape extends over its boundaries, bleeding into neighboring shapes.

PEOPLE CONTAINED IN A CONFINED SPACE 2

Medium: Acrylic and watercolor on paper

Size: 375.9x772.2mm or 14.8x30.4in

Date: 2018

I represent each US state and inhabited US territory with a 7x7cm square. A square is colored based on the economic disparity between top 1% and bottom 99% in that region. The higher the contrast between two colors, the greater the economic inequality in the region. In this sense, I painted New York in black and white because New York has the greatest economic inequality between top 1% and bottom 99% and has the greatest contrast between its two colors.

Further, I organized these regions from left to right in a grid based on their number of electoral votes per population. In the far left, Wyoming has the biggest number of electoral votes per population. In the opposite corner, California has the least electoral votes per population of US states. The US inhabited territories, having no voting rights, are listed from smallest to biggest population.

PEOPLE CONTAINED IN A CONFINED SPACE

Medium: Acrylic, graphite and watercolor on paper

Size: 385x525mm or 15.2x20.7in

Date: 2018

In People Contained in a Confined Space, I create a rule where fewer letters corresponding to more access to resources. The letters in the names of Los Angeles neighborhood are compressed. I use the cramped letters as a metaphor for population density. In this sense, a neighborhood with more letters to their name experiences higher population density than one with fewer. In this case, the neighborhood of Palms with 5 letters to its name has low population density while Harvard Heights with 14 letters has much higher population density.

People Contained in A Confined Space 3

Medium: Acrylic on paper

Date: 2018

People’s attachment to land and other resources is based on a false pretense that they are entitled to them. This work attempts to discuss how entitlement to land is unfounded because the distribution of resources to a population of any size is arbitrary. There may be a system in place, but that system is irrational.

Transitory

Medium: Acrylic, colored pencil and watercolor on paper

Size: 793.75x920.75mm or 31.25x36.25in

Date: 2018

I am drawn to the multiple meanings of the word ‘transitory.’ The transit system is transitory because it is impermanent. We can predict the bus system being replaced by the popularization of ride sharing and driverless cars in the near future. When we travel through spaces like bus stops and underground rail entrances, our experience is transitory too. The amount of time we spend in these transitional spaces may be short-lived and temporary, but when taken together, they can make a profound and lasting effect on our well-being.

I use colored pencil to outline bus routes and watercolor to paint the map drawing. I mixed any two neighboring colors directly onto the paper, resulting in bleeds. These bleeds and imperfections mark transitions between spaces on the cityscape.