Laundry Rocks

Solitary time during the pandemic pushed me to look below the surface of things of our local Boston Chinatown community history, in the building of the Transcontinental Railroad and the business of Chinese hand laundries. Astounded by the harsh working conditions, sheer volume of work, and the importance of sending money home, I created “Moving Mountains” out of a mountain of sawdust and a vintage crate for explosives; and re-imagined piles of shirts into “Laundry Rocks”, something seeming precious. The Chinese has a long tradition in appreciating the worlds within world that a rock offers.

There is a wide gulf and little understanding between early Chinese American laborers and those who came more recently as students or professionals. In my own way, I want to visualize the common thread among the Chinese-we believe mountains can be moved, that worlds exist within a rock, and we respond emotionally to the color red.

This work is included in my next solo show, Home On Our Backs at the Pao Arts Center, Boston, 1/28/2021-6/26/2021

Image transfer, pigments on paper