What does it mean to be Hmong as a visual artist? My exploration of cultural identity has been recent because I initially felt that the pursuit of personal identity was not practical. But after further thought, I have discovered that through using my Hmong identity as a medium, I have created work that attempts to bridge the yawning gaps existing in the immigrant’s experience, through an exploration, analysis, and a creative reinterpretation of Hmong cultural and traditional meanings.

Along with exploring my own identity I wanted to emphasize the importance of being bi-cultural and the advantages of living in two worlds. It is important that we do not disregard our own unique identities that reveal how we differ from other individuals. The goal is to empower and to be proud of being a minority within the mainstream contrasting culture, which may seem old fashioned and outdated, but provides a compelling perspective on the world.

The final part of my work is about community, and what it meant to engaged within it or, conversely, to be divorced from the mainstream culture. ‘Community’ is a word tossed around as if we-by using that word-are truly including every culture and individual that is a part of it. What I have learned about community is that as an artist, I am not simply creating a public art mural on the side of the wall, but more importantly, I am engaging in the larger discourse on the immigrant experience and further, I become a representative for the fledgling Hmong art community.