Intimacies (2023)
with Amy Yoon and Gi Chun
published by Sine Theta Magazine issue 27 FRIEND朋 (front and back covers)

Intimacies is a 35mm photo series that sprung from a communal cooking evening. As three queer Asian friends, we explored forms of intimacies in relation to our bodies, communities, ancestors, and the environment. We had met in various spaces at Duke University connected to Asian American studies, student organizing, and gardening, but this was the first time the three of us spent time with just each other.

We talked about the dreams and frustrations of organizing, toxic and nourishing friendships, and memories of food, all while reaching over each other in the space of the kitchen. Amy and Huiyin cooked up a dinner of twice-cooked pork 回锅肉, pan-fried tofu 香煎豆腐, red-braised eggplant 红烧茄子, and stir-fried green beans 干煸四季豆, accompanied by reheated frozen rice from the freezer. Gi shared their homemade shrimp dumplings and, for dessert, invented peanut butter, fig jelly, and fresh whipped cream on toast. Our pot filled the entire place with smoke, so we had to evacuate to the balcony and rescue the green beans. This led to conversations about the toxicity of intimacies, and the inevitable inconvenience that comes with being in relation with others.

The dinner, along with the documentary process, became a collective play and dance. The process reclaimed an imaginative power as we listened to, contended with, embraced, and healed each other.