Artist Statement:
Asian America is often discussed and portrayed as a monolith – one of model citizenship and emotionless hard work. Millennial Asian Americans rarely see themselves this way. This series counters stereotypical depictions through portraiture. Bachelors, artists, and activists are at once playful, pensive, and passionate. The result presents a new narrative, one of a tremendously diverse and fluid social identity.

About the Author:
As a Chinese Afro-Cuban artist, Diego Luis identifies strongly as an Asian American. His identity has encouraged him to think critically about the wide diversity of the category of Asian American. He has just finished a PhD in history at Brown University, and his photos have appeared recently in NPR, Moko: Caribbean Arts and Letters, Azahares Literary Magazine, among numerous others, and are forthcoming in Chiricú Journal: Latina/o Literatures, Arts, and Cultures.

An additional note: “Joy” has been previously published in New Southern Fugitives and has been exhibited at the Rankin Arts Photography Center of Columbus State University.