Amerikorean

Abstract

“Amerikorean” is a project that utilizes imagery to elucidate the struggles of an immigrant from South Korea attempting to adjust and define a sense of identity in the United States. The image-making process represents an examination of American cultural, political, and social standards, and contains emotions, thoughts and humor to initiate and promote a productive discussion about the complex subject of immigration. This is a timely topic in the current American political climate. As an immigrant who struggles with communication, my intent is also to share with my viewers the emotional and social distress associated with communication barriers encountered daily through imagery, which is often easier than with words. The main purpose of this study is to define my dual identities as an immigrant: Korean and American, foreign and native, adjusted and never adjusting. The attempt is to provide a voice to all of those who, define themselves as foreign or an “other” in American society.