What’s My Name?

What’s My Name? (2014-2016) was conceived in 2013 when I visited and volunteered at several local Korean heritage language schools held on Saturday mornings. In these small, intimate ethnic communities, I met the first generation of Gyopo who makes efforts to consolidate and reassure their ethnic identity by teaching the home language and culture. I have always been fascinated by seeing how the second generation Gyopo has been doubling their two different languages, homes, and histories and understanding themselves in a fruitful way.

What’s My Name? comprises fourteen photographs of the binders that many Gyopo families use to store documents for visas, green cards, and permanent-residence applications, each folder representing one family.