This is my current truth

This is my current truth

Rediscovering, confronting, unlearning, and relearning new normals through photography

By Nikki Whang (she/her/hers), Yale School of Management, Class of 2022

  • The artist is central in the frame, standing with her hand on her hip and looking directly at the camera. The colors are saturated and her t-shirt reads money creates taste.
    Title: "Money creates taste" | When do truisms become truth? An homage to Lisa Kahane’s photo of Lady Pink in Jenny Holzer’s truism, Abuse of Power Comes as No Surprise.[1] [1] Shirt: © 2020 Jenny Holzer, member Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Project: 2020 by The Museum of Modern ArtPhoto modeled after: Jenny Holzer, Abuse of Power Comes As No Surprise from the series Truisms T-shirts,1980-, worn by Lady Pink © 1983 Lisa Kahane, NYC, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/jenny-holzer-1307/5-ways-jenny-holz…
    1/4
  • The artist is central in the frame, her arms wrapped around herself, looking down. She is wearing nothing except two gold bracelets, gold nail polish, and a measuring tape around her waist.
    Title: "Measuring tape" | I’m 28 years old and my mother called me beautiful for the first time. I remember that it’s the first time because when I was 18, I finally asked her if she thought I was pretty. She scoffed and responded, “Well, what do you think?” I never asked again.
    2/4
  • The artist is central in the frame, standing behind a table. The room she is in is dark, though she is lit by some of the TV. On the table is a green ceramic planter pot, a brown envelope, two warpped parcels, and another green ceramic planter pot.
    Title: "Two gifts and an unsent letter" | A questioning of conflicting desires, on display for all to see. Modeled after Carrie Mae Weems’ The Kitchen Table Series. [2] [2] Carrie Mae Weems, The Kitchen Table Series, 1990, https://carriemaeweems.net/galleries/kitchen-table.html
    3/4
  • The artist is in the left of the frame wearing a mask and sleeveless tank top, a man is on the right in a mask and t-shirt. There are strings of white lights overhead as well as unidentifiable green lights. The two subjects are facing each other, arm’s length apart without making contact, looking into each other’s eyes.
    Title: "Safe distances" | In more ways than one.
    4/4

Description

These photos represent my current truth. Now in my late 20s, I naively thought that I had reached a point of stability and consistency. But being back in a privileged university setting, especially as a global pandemic takes hold, has forced me to rediscover, confront, unlearn, and relearn new normals. These photos are my attempt at being truthful and honest in this process. They show what I’m thinking, what I’m feeling, the conflicts I’m experiencing, and how I relate to myself and others.

The pandemic has changed me. The new environment I’m in has changed me. But now, when I look at my life, I think about what matters most. What gives me hope, quells my fears, and lets me live my dreams? Art has always been that answer for me. When I can’t process things for myself, I look to my artistic heroes for solace hence the homages to Lisa Kahane, Lady Pink & Jenny Holzer, and Carrie Mae Weems. Through art, I am able to navigate change and tumultuous times. I can think through all of these bigger questions. And when you can think through something—down to its color, its shape, its framing in a photo—it becomes less scary.

I would like to credit my collaborator, Brandon Galang, who shot and edited the photos and is featured in Safe distances.

About the artist 

Nikki Whang is a visual artist currently based in New Haven, CT. Her work centers on aspects of her identity and often explores the intersection of Asian-American identity. Nikki's past work included public and performative art.

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