Homer Shew

The American-born Asian artist Homer Shew intends to make a series of portraits to paint every Asian American he encounters in the U.S. His portraits are characterized by their intimate, textured nature and rich and deeply contextualized view of the emotions and experiences of his subjects. Rather than being estranged, the portraits are infused with sincerity and complexity, transcending the current climate of heightened racial tensions and touching on broader human experiences relevant to contemporary life. Through his paintings, he sheds light on how this rapidly growing minority group is influencing today's local society, highlighting the connection between mainstream stereotypes of Chinatowns and the actual experiences of Asian Americans- exploring the complexity and contradictions of this relationship. By depicting a diverse range of subjects across different generations and locations, Homer's portraits bring historical context and depth to the current conversation around the invisibility of Asians in the American cultural landscape.