NEWSPAPER

This 8-page booklet contains deconstructed pieces from USA Today’s newspaper article titled, “Bling Empire gives Asian Americans time to shine”. Asian culture can be incredibly private and finding space to discuss taboo or “shameful” topics can be a challenge within certain Asian communities. The culture often encourages individuals to put up a facade of success and happiness in order to protect a community that favors collectivism over individual goals and desires. Parallel to this, is the idea that those who identify as Asian-American may struggle to find space where their intersection of cultures is understood and respected. Stereotypes of what constitute “Asian” and “American” can act as barriers for accurately perceiving individuals who simultaneously embody both Eastern and Western influence. Further, these preconceived ideas can grow into expectations of who an individual should be, forcing the individual to conform to one culture or the other without acknowledging the delicate existence of duality. Through cut-out treatments of image and text, this collage highlights the themes of secrecy, censorship, and finding space for racial identity.