First and Second Generation Gap

The first generation made it here, and to live at all is such a privilege that they’re happy, and even encourage you to put your head down, work, fade away, get your meals, and live a quiet life.

And I think the second generation, the great conundrum there, the great paradox, is that they want to be seen. They want to make something. And what a better way to make something and fill yourself with agency than to be an artist? So: so many of us immigrant children end up betraying our parents in order to subversively achieve our parents’ dreams. - Ocean Vuong

In New York, I’m privileged to have met so many talented and creative Asian artists. We were taught to keep quiet. We were taught to keep our heads down. We were taught to stay invisible. Instead, we are expressing ourselves loudly through our art.

I predict that in the next two decades, Asian artists combined with permissionless platforms like YouTube and Instagram, are going to absolutely take over.