And I Wander by Wen-Hang Lin

Issue 168

And I Wander is an ongoing project depicting the reciprocal relationship between personal identity and place, two concepts that interact along an experiential spectrum from blissful belonging to painful alienation. As an immigrant in America for three decades, my continuing quest to feel at home here has been the impetus for this series. It’s a journey that leads me to explore the idea of “America” – its national patchwork of historical, social, and cultural norms – and understand how that relates to me and vice versa.

To produce the project, I cut carnival mirrors to resemble my silhouette and placed the nebulous humanoid within the varied landscapes. This chameleonic being dreamy echoes its surroundings. Yet, depending on each image’s relation to the camera and immediate environment, the chameleonic presence is never fully incorporated, which waxes and wanes in visibility. Balancing the ‘yang’ of these landscapes’ tranquil stillness is the potent melancholy ‘yin’ of this solitary figure: conveying my unreconciled yearning for a sense of belonging in America.

Wen-Hang Lin (he/him) lives and works in Mesa, Arizona. 
wensphoto.com | @wen.hang