How are you doing now

As children raised in East Asian families, we were taught to hide our emotions because it aligned with the philosophy of the golden mean. Over the past three years, I’ve gone through the worst experiences of my life, which have forced me to change.

"How are you doing now?" is a visual diary of my encounters over the past three years, translating personal memories and narratives into an intimate photographic series. Growing up in East Asian families, we were often taught from a young age to conceal our emotions, in line with the philosophy of the golden mean. Over these three years, I have faced some of the most challenging moments of my life: grappling with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, mourning the loss of a family member to illness, being diagnosed with a breast fibroma and undergoing my first major surgery, and feeling the weight of my parents' high expectations. I faced these events with composure, allowing emotions that should have been expressed to be submerged in the fast-moving currents of life. These past moments continue to affect me, lingering in memory and regret, akin to what Freud referred to as Mourning and Melancholia.

Through this series, I seek to move beyond the concepts of mourning and melancholy, conveying personal experiences through stories etched in memory. Although the perspective of the work is personal, I believe that many of us have faced unprecedented challenges and setbacks in the past three years. While each of us may respond to these experiences in our own way, perhaps our paths intersect in shared struggles.

"How are you doing now?" serves as a call for people to share their experiences, and to feel unashamed in expressing their pain and vulnerability.