REFLECTION ON AWAKENING

"With a little forbearance, you will find calm and peace; take a little step back, and you will find

more space around you." - 忍一時風平浪靜，退一步海闊天空

This is the mindset we were taught growing up in an Asian household, where conflicts should stay away from any kind of situation for the best outcome. The idiom encourages one that if you are patient and remain silent in the moment of anger, you will escape sorrow and avoid unnecessary discomfort. But is it a good solution when facing discrimination? When encountering prejudicial treatment or disrespectful comments, Asians tend to brush it off to avoid potential problems and embarrassment; perhaps in an arduous, sometimes futile attempt to belong.  “Asians have consistently been used as scapegoats, from the whitewashing of railroad constructions early as the 19th century to Japanese internment to the murder of Vincent Chin to the “China virus”—all the while being labeled the ‘model minority.” Voices of “Stop Asian Hate” have never stopped; however, prejudice and hatred towards Asians increase over time, especially after 2020 not only in the United States but around the world.

 Deeply struck by the hate crime targeting Asian Americans, especially the 2021 Atlanta spa shooting, MaiYap started to reconsider her identity, her roots, and what it meant to be an Asian woman in the U.S. Growing up as a minority in Panama, MaiYap often found herself the only Asian among people. She deeply felt the fear of being different. After moving to South Florida, MaiYap has realized that Asian communities are still relatively invisible in many aspects of social movements compared to other minorities. While racial issues have been brought under the spotlight during and after the pandemic, racism towards Asian immigrants seems not to get enough attention as it should. MaiYap’s new series of works, “Reflection on Awakening,” aims to dig deeper into the issue by exploring and discovering the artist’s genuine feelings and presenting the process of finding one’s true self through palette knife strokes and colors. MaiYap’s paintings depict multiple layers of subjects, such as water, the reflection of the surroundings, and plants that ebbs and flows in between. MaiYap uses water lilies and lotus leaves to symbolize one’s state of mind. In Buddhism, lotus is often a sign of peace, grace, and strength in the soul. In her paintings, however, there are no victorious blooming lotus flowers. Instead, only the leaves are portrayed. “Reflection on Awakening” is a series that emphasizes the ongoing healing process and the continuous journey of finding one’s inner peace. The paintings do not wish to bring out the dark side but to approach the serious topic of Asian Hate from an aesthetic and meditative attitude. Holding the belief to bring out the beauty of Chinese culture, which values craftsmanship and traditions, MaiYap also wishes to heal her grief by digesting the information through the layers on her paintings. Her process unfolds sorrow and empathy for her people, the Asian community.  The exhibition “Reflection on Awakening” intends to bring awareness of racism towards Asians and the truth that it is happening as often and with the same intensity as with other minorities. 

Text by Yi Chin HsieH 

"Reflection on Awakening" installation project proposes the exhibition of 16 canvases and videos that document the painting process of each individual artwork. Eight medium-size canvases depict the development of MaiYap's ideas in a coordinated sequence and eight large-size canvases expand on the topic.   

"Reflection on Awakening" series emphasizes the artist's ongoing healing process and the continuous journey of finding one’s inner peace. This project aims to bring awareness of racism towards Asians in America and the truth that it is happening as often, just as other minorities are suffering.  

To complement the exhibit, a conversation with a panel of experts is suggested. 

The artist will accommodate the number of artworks to any specific site. 

FOR EXHIBIT INQUIRIES please contact MaiYap at:  

maiyap@bellsouth.net  

(305) 725-8630