Rain on Your Heart

Do you ever feel like you don’t belong? Or perhaps, that you are the problem?

I have incessantly questioned my place in this world.

I was admired, included, or excluded due to gender, race, and nationality. People on the streets of Pokhara perceived my brighter toned skin to be more beautiful than theirs. Pupils from a 95% white school in Auckland found the “exotic” lunchbox I brought to school repulsive. While catcallers in Ohio shouted “nǐ hǎo” (greeting in Chinese) at the first encounter, pedestrians in Beijing often approached me talking in Chinese.

This series is a collection of the moments that made me feel belong, and gave me the reason to go on.

Through these paintings, I hope to warmly rain on your heart.