Meet the Artists
Anisa Anuar
Hi! I’m Anisa. I recently graduated from Northeastern after five years of being as active as possible in the Asian American community there. As a Malaysian American, I don’t often see myself represented. Because of that, I work to incorporate my identity and culture into everything I do, whether it’s a design project or a piece of art. I do this to give recognition to the communities that made me who I am today, and to bring awareness to the beauty I find in being Malaysian American.
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Insta: @chocolatechipsmiles
https://anisaanuar.com/
Pranali Ashara
Pranali Ashara is a first-year environmental science and chemistry major with a passion for both the arts and sciences. As a member of SAPNE (the South Asian Poets of New England), she has recited her poetry at venues such as Harvard University’s South Asian Institute and is excited to be a part of the AAHM Gallery to celebrate Asian-American culture. Outside of poetry, Pranali is part of KADA, the E-board of CANU (NU composting club), UTSAV, ASU, and NUSAACS (the NU chemistry society). She hopes to continue to be involved in artistic creation on campus over the next 4 years.
Gabriel Carrascoso
My name is Gabriel Carrascoso. I am a first year business administration major with concentrations in management information systems and international business. I began writing raps in my junior year of high school for fun and began performing my work at various events hosted by different PAAC organizations during the fall semester. The content of my raps typically spawn from my own personal observations and interactions with the world around me, and many of my lines subtly reflect certain aspects of the Asian American experience.
Sophia Chan
In middle school, I fell in love with the art of photography, and over time, I have experimented with taking portraits, photoshop, and recently, I started developing my own prints. Being both Chinese-American and part of the LGBTQ+ community, I have spent much of my adolescent years exploring how both communities intersect, and this art piece is a celebration of what it means to be both.
Jessica Chen
I'm a third-year bioengineering major from RI, with minors in math and art. Making art has always been important to me, and this was one of the first times I was able to connect that passion with my cultural identity. Being half-Taiwanese, my identity as an Asian American wasn't always clear to me growing up. As I’ve gotten older, I have learned more about what being Asian means to me, and I've never been more proud to be a part of the APIDA community!
Vanessa Chen
Hi, I'm Vanessa! I really love drawing, animation, and design; I'm looking to learn more about information/graphic design, but I still love drawing just for fun. :) I am also Chinese-American and much of my inspiration draws from my sense of cultural identity, from historical artwork to bits and pieces of everyday life. I've struggled to feel proud of both my work and my identity, but I find strength because I am very passionate about what I do/who I am and am able to look up to my friends, family, and Asian-American role models/characters in media.
Portfolio: https://chenva.myportfolio.com
IG: @nessagraphic
Website: https://vanessachen.cargo.site
Amy Dang
I am a fifth-year Behavioral Neuroscience and Interaction Design student at Northeastern and have loved making art since I was young. I was born in Vietnam before immigrating to America in 2002 with my parents, where we call Atlanta our home. As a Vietnamese-American artist, I began exploring my racial identity in college and have just started to do so specifically through art. My hope in continuing to build my portfolio is to create pieces both personal to myself and my family’s heritage and meaningful to the greater Asian-American experience.
Melissa "Mel" Ea
I've always been a casual painter but never challenged my abilities until this project. I've never painted skin tones before nor was I experienced in painting a self portrait. I use painting as a form of therapy during times when I have something on my mind that I want to express through visuals. As an Asian American, my family is both Thai and Chinese so I tangle between feeling "Thai enough" or "Chinese enough" depending on the community that I'm put in. I resonate much more with my Thai side but would love to explore the Chinese culture much more since I even took Mandarin classes throughout high school.
Ashley Freeman
Hello, my name is Ashley! I’m currently a sophomore studying International Business and am also on the e-board for JSA. It’s such a honor to participate in this cultural event and see everyone’s work. Growing up in the US, I was fortunate to be connected to Japanese culture through friends and family. While it's been some time since my last visit to Japan, I wanted to revisit past memories through this drawing while showing an important Japanese community tradition. This fall I plan to study abroad in Japan and really look forward to immersing myself in the community and culture.
Aaron Fu
Hey I’m Aaron Fu (they/them), a second year majoring in bioengineering & biochemistry. Currently, I’ll be on co-op as both a EMT and a medical scribe. I’m CSA secretary, so sign up for our newsletter, get excited, and drop by our events this semester! You can find me at ASU, SASE, KASA, and Club Taekwondo. I like working with all types of studio art: oil, water color, acrylic paint, markers, sculpting, ink, pencil, etc. Some trivia about me: I love cats, watermelon juice, and if you think I’m hot, girlfriend applications are open.
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Insta: @avacadonttryit
Art: @file_port
JC Ju
Hi! I'm JC. I am Korean American-- emphasis on the Korean, and emphasis on the American. There are a few things which have made me feel like I was "less" Korean than others. I'm learning to change my mindset and be more excited about learning-- rather than being ashamed of-- what I don't know.
While I don't know what I want to do yet, I'm honored to be able to contribute to this lovely event, and to have an incredible community supporting me, wherever I may go.
My normal medium of art isn't poetry, but I hope you like this!
Hannah Kim
My name is Hannah Kim. I'm a second year Bioengineering student from MA. I'm mixed-race Korean, and grew up mostly with my white mother. I've been learning art for much of my life, and my favorite media are acrylic, oil, and pencil.
Sage Kumar
My name is Sage Kumar, I'm a third year Biology major, and I paint for fun and fulfillment! Most of my experience is with acrylics and I started painting out of a desire to give custom and meaningful gifts. I was adopted from China and was raised in a Chinese-Indian American home, so multicultural experiences are a big part of my background and definitely contributed to my piece for the gallery.
Megan Lam
Hi! I'm a third year Architecture and Design major from greater Boston. My parents are Hong Kong born and sent me to Cantonese school at the ripe age of six, although my speaking skills are elementary at best (unfortunately). I am really into craft and the physical act of making.
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Insta: @megyolks
Madison Lee
My name is Maddie Lee, and I am from Connecticut! I am a second-generation Korean American and an artist. My identity as an artist and an Asian-American goes hand-in-hand; I often make pieces based on folklore or childhood experiences. I love painting, focusing on watercolors of natural elements and portraits. ​To describe my style, I like to blend realist and surreal art styles within my work, intending to capture the imaginary and translate it onto paper by highlighting vibrant colorscapes that feel both real and surreal at the same time (much like life!). I love art, as there’s so much out there to learn--different mediums, forms of expression, and reasons for why people paint and draw.
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Insta: @jxwxne
LLVX
LLVX reaches for the extremes of noise, ambience, and groove to create music that brings attention to the queer and racial struggles of their non-binary Korean-American experience. Creating a combination of hyperpop, indie, and boom bap hip hop, LLVX is able to portray euphoria and dysphoria through the collage of sounds. Based in NYC / Boston
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Instagram: @llvx.o
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7E4vePBWNX6uR2ICOldzOF
Website: www.llvxofficial.com
Angeli Lu
I’m a second-year undergraduate student at Northeastern majoring in Bioengineering. Art was my favorite hobby growing up; I used to spend most of my free time drawing, painting, and doing calligraphy. I am Chinese-American, and this facet of my identity has been a major source of inspiration for many of my pieces. Most of my work from high school was acrylic, watercolor, or colored pencil, but recently I have branched out into digital art and poetry!
April Ma
I would not label myself as an artist, but I have take a couple art classes throughout high school. I love how art can take my mind away from current problems and how it helps me focus on one thing in the moment - my art. I am a Vietnamese American! I adore my culture and hope that everyone has the opportunity to appreciate Vietnamese art.
Cassandra Moe
Hey! My name is Cass, a third year Computer Science and Design major from New Jersey (and PR for ASU woo). As a kid I tried a good number of art-related things, but dance is the one that really stuck with me. I loved the music and the performance, which helped my shy self break out of my shell, if only for a few minutes on a stage. And in hindsight, it feels cool knowing that in a predominantly white town and predominantly white dance studio, I was quietly breaking stereotypes.
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Insta: @dance.disaster
Vanessa Peng
I was born in Flushing, New York in a Taiwanese immigrant household. At home, I spoke Mandarin and used chopsticks for all three of my meals. At school, I spoke English and used forks for lunch. From a young age, I already understood the complexity of being Asian-American, from having to balance two different identities. I was never ashamed of my identity, always looking for a chance to brag about the beautiful island that is my parent’s home country. Art was encouraged by my house and I started pursuing art early, and used it as a means to express who I am and where I come from.
Insta: @vanessa.peng
Ji Yoon (Angela) Rhee
I am a BSCS student, but I'm a self-taught artist. I have made actual artworks, both traditional and digital, and uploaded them on my Instagram account since circa 2015. I usually do fanarts of celebrities, but I occasionally my OCs as well. Though not publicly published on my account, I have designed first drafts of characters for my game project.
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Art Insta: @nero.viola
Kaiya Santos
I am a first year, studio art major here at Northeastern and have done a lot of art work based on inclusivity and mental health. I am a big promoter for mental health and increasing the acceptance of diversity as I have seen the people that I love suffer first hand from discrimination and seen how that effects.
A. Sarkar
The way my Asian-American identity connects to my piece is: being unsure. It’s an awkward limbo to feel not quite American enough to be an American, but not quite Indian enough to be Indian. I’m never going to understand as much about Asian culture as someone raised in Asia, or about American culture as someone raised in an American home, and yet there’s a very real pressure to be perfect at both. My piece is a kind of wish fulfillment, that one day we can reach the sun and grasp it with our hands.
Takeo
Takeo is a half-Japanese half-Scandinavian American artist. He makes lofi-esque sadboi music to study and cry to. His initial inspiration to learn music came from blues rock and rock bands such as The Who, Cream, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. These influences inspired Takeo to take up drums and percussion in his elementary school band. Throughout his schooling he developed other musical interests including guitar, singing, and music production which has led him to making the music he does today.
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Insta: @takeo.mp3, @hagen_zhang
Michelle Yijen Ton
Following a theme of red and blue in much of my work, and heavily inspired by my background in Chinese traditional dance, I represent the dynamic nature of the influences within my Chinese American identity as part of the Asian-American community. Throughout my pieces, I depict imagery from my heritage, and powerful figures dancing and moving through chaos and conflict. I empower myself through the art I make by drawing strength from the imagery of resistance and perseverance. By depicting struggle and creating something new from it, I hope my art can empower the rest of the community as well.
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Art Insta! @serainechor :)
Huiyun Wang
I'm a cell and molecular biology major that does art as a hobby. I mostly do digital art as I love the freedom and many effects, tools, and shortcuts that you can utilize to make everything easier. I don't usually draw realism and mostly like drawing cute things like stickers. Throughout my time at Northeastern, I have connected a lot more with my Asian American identity which is why I was compelled to submit a piece to this gallery. I've come to have a greater appreciation of Asian American culture through attending club events and meeting new people.
Olivia Wang
I'm a first year design major whose art roots stem from traditional mediums like oil painting and sketching. I’ve always enjoyed drawing people, so one of my favorite pastimes is going to cafes to do observation drawings of those around me or going outside to do en plein air paintings. As a Chinese Asian American, I’ve found that my heritage has allowed me to explore different stories from my ethnicity and express them through my art.
Website: https://oliviawang.myportfolio.com/
Bryan Wu
Bryan Wu is a first-year computer science and graphic design major, and enjoys drawing, painting, and creating art.
Olivia Wu
Hello! I'm Olivia, a 2nd year Business and Design major from Norwell, MA. I've been doing art since I was little and that is one of the reasons I decided to add the combined major with design. Normal mediums for me include charcoal, acrylic painting, and graphite. Currently, I am the media specialist for ASU and so it is definitely super rewarding seeing my designs represent such a big part of the APIDA community at NEU.
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Insta: @oliviadwu.pt2
Elaine Zhang
Hi, my name's Elaine and I'm a fourth year interaction design major from New York. My experience as a designer at Northeastern has been largely tied to the APIDA community- from being media specialist for the Chinese Student Association, to designing for AAHM 2021, and some assorted PAAC apparel here and there. Currently, you can find me at AASIA, CSA, or designing for Scout's annual conference, Interventions, coming up later this semester!
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Art Insta: @cupnewdles
Portfolio: elainezhang.myportfolio.com
Hagen Zhang
Hagen Zhang is an ABC born and raised in the California Bay Area. Initially a piano player, his classical music education ended abruptly in late elementary school when he decided to drop piano to play drums instead. Years later in high school, Hagen picked up guitar in order to play for his church’s worship team, and now writes generic pop songs in his free time.
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Insta: @hagen_zhang