And I Wander is an ongoing project depicting the reciprocal relationship between personal identity and place, two concepts that interact along an experiential spectrum from blissful belonging to painful alienation. As an immigrant in America for three decades, my continuing quest to feel at home here has been the impetus for this series. It’s a journey that leads me to explore the idea of “America” – its national patchwork of historical, social, and cultural norms – and understand how that relates to me and vice versa.

To produce the project, I cut carnival mirrors to resemble my silhouette and placed the nebulous humanoid within the varied landscapes. This chameleonic being dreamy echoes its surroundings. Yet, depending on each image’s relation to the camera and immediate environment, the chameleonic presence is never fully incorporated, which waxes and wanes in visibility. Balancing the ‘yang’ of these landscapes’ tranquil stillness is the potent melancholy ‘yin’ of this solitary figure: conveying my unreconciled yearning for a sense of belonging in America.

This project is shot on color Kodak film with a medium-format camera. All images are available in the size of 16x20, 40x30, or 50x40 inches in limited editions of either 15 or 10 with a total of 3 artist proofs. Photographs are printed as chromogenic prints using digital technology.