This installation is comprised of found compacts with the addition of burnt traditional Chinese paper adhered to the mirrors of the compacts. These portable art objects deal with Wang's experiences growing up in New York City and her evolving appreciation for Chinese paintings and calligraphy. The artist began creating these compacts when attacks against Asian Americans surged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Raised in New York City, a descendent of the collector who amassed the celebrated Jade Studio collection of Chinese paintings, Kelly Wang is caught between her American and Asian roots. For most Asian Americans, during childhood there comes a realization that others may see them as different, as alien. In Wang’s case, this moment arrived when a classmate declared their wish to “kill all the Chinese people.” This venom is captured in the first gallery, where a group of cosmetic compacts document slurs from Wang’s school days through to the present, when COVID-19 sparked a rise in anti-Asian hatred. Women use mirrored compacts to look at themselves, yet Wang’s intervention of words on burnt paper that cover the mirrors makes visible what certain others may see, think, and hate. Collectively titled Thank You for Reminding Me of My Rich Cultural Past, the compacts signal the artist’s desire to engage with the Asian side of her heritage." - Cary Liu, "Between Heartlands: Kelly Wang" catalogue text (2022)
"Many women carry compacts, but I have found myself using mine to check behind me discreetly while waiting on empty subway platforms, following violent attacks against Asian women. "Thank You for Reminding Me of My Rich Cultural Past" is a collection of portable art objects, comprising my own as well as found compacts that I imagine being used by different Asian American women for many purposes beyond applying makeup." - Kelly Wang (2021)
