JI YOUNG HAN
PHOTOGRAPHY
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Suicide is the 5th most common reason for death in the Asian community. Depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges are prevalent in this community, but because of cultural traditions, there is little dialogue about these issues. It’s time to air our dirty laundry.
Asian families suffer from a denial of mental illness, a hierarchical structure that makes seeking help difficult, and an inability to express genuine emotions. The outcome is that many loved ones contribute negatively to each others’ mental health even when we do not intend to. By looking honestly at each other, and ourselves, we can begin to see the truth of our own traumas and begin healing as a community.
This exhibition includes photos, stories, and resources curated by JiYoung Han with the help of family counselling professionals and academic experts. Through photos, the artist has captured the different “dirty secrets” that are preventing us from tackling the challenges in mental health in our community. My hope is to shed some light on the truth behind mental health issues in the Asian community so that we can grow in our confidence to finally address the issue.
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POST EVENT REFLECTIONS
On September 28th, 2019, I held a private photo exhibition called Air the Dirty Laundry: A Photo Exhibition About Asian Mental Health Experiences. This exhibition has part of my journey to finding my own mental wellbeing and helping other Asian and Asian Americans become more aware of the mental health issues that specifically face our community. I interviewed and took portraits of Asian and Asian American community members of many different walks of life. They are in different professions, are different ages, and are of different socioeconomic statuses; yet, they've all had to grapple with how Asian culture influences their life and mental wellbeing.
I was warmed to see many members of the community come together to learn about mental health and consider our own responsibility in healing ourselves and the community at large. Activities, informational posters of important data, and thought starters helped attendees reflect on the challenges they and others might face. The event also shared resources and ways to improve one's own mental health including different habits to build, organizations that can help, and existing services that might be of interest.
All together, I felt this was a step in the right direction to prompt conversation in the Asian and Asian American community about the state of our mental health. Indeed, local newspapers including NichiBei, the oldest Japanese American newspaper in the Bay Area, reported on the exhibition and the mental health challenge we face as a community. Many people approached me after viewing the exhibition to share more of their personal stories, and to ask what resources they might consider next. I felt privileged to help inspire these reflections.
My photos in this exhibition are heavily influenced by Berenice Abbot, who said, “Photography can only represent the present, once photographed, the subject becomes part of the past.” Indeed, I am different each day and after every photo I take, and the question is now: how do I want to move forward from here.
