ACROSS THE OCEAN

This project was inspired by my late aunt, who was a contract worker in the former GDR in 1986. As the eldest daughter in my mother’s family, she wrote letters home that painted an idealized picture of her life in Germany, omitting the challenges of surveillance, discrimination, and hardship she faced. In 2014, during a visit to her home and through subsequent research into family archives, I uncovered the contrast between the hopeful image she projected and the reality she endured. This personal discovery led me to use food and its symbolic power to investigate immigrant identity and the layers of meaning hidden beneath polished narratives.

Food, in this context, represents more than nourishment—it carries stories, memories, and collective identities. I incorporate food imagery and acrylic glass, a material symbolizing consumerism and industrialization, to evoke both cultural pride and commodification. Through a process of distortion and destruction, I transform these materials, breaking the surface of stereotypes to reveal underlying personal and collective traumas. This process is a metaphor for deconstructing the idealized image of the “good immigrant” and challenging the stereotypes imposed on Asian communities.

“Across the Ocean” opens a dialogue about immigration policies in Germany and Europe and their lasting impact on individuals and communities. Through collected artifacts and personal memories, the project emphasizes the complex intersections of cultural heritage, displacement, and trauma, offering a space for empathy and critical reflection on how discriminatory practices shape identities.