As a Vietnamese American artist, my work responds to the ways our identities are often flattened, reduced to stereotypes like nail techs or restaurant workers, while the richness of our stories and who we are remains unseen. Việt Kiều challenges those narrow portrayals and offers a more complex, nuanced view of our lives. I use surreal photography, foam clay, and other sculptural materials to create masks that merge elements of Vietnamese American daily life like plastic grocery bags, rice cookers, and pho restaurant takeout containers with surreal distortions. These masks represent the different “faces” we wear to survive in both the Vietnamese and American worlds, symbolizing the tension between how we’re seen and who we truly are. They also carry the stories of the people I grew up with: family, friends, and neighbors who have had to navigate these same struggles. Their strength and resilience are woven into each mask, making this project deeply personal to me. Growing up, I rarely saw stories like mine in the art world. “Việt Kiều” is my way of reclaiming that narrative, of showing that we’re more than the labor we do and the roles we’re assigned. It’s about giving voice to the quiet struggles and hidden depths of our community. Through this work, I hope to create space for reflection and conversation, encouraging viewers to look beyond the surface and see the real, layered stories that shape who we are.