By Honorary Reporter Daniel Ahn from U.S.

Photos= Julia Kwon

Julia Kwon probably never thought that she'd be making masks one day. Yet when the COVID-19 pandemic reached her home state of Virginia, the fabric and textile artist's professional exhibitions and events were suddenly canceled.

Stuck at home, she started hand-sewing the beautiful masks that would comprise her "Unapologetically Asian" project. Though masks are now ubiquitous fashion and public health items, hers are immediately recognizable for their unique designs featuring patch-worked Korean silk.

Traditional Korean fabrics might seem like unusual material to produce masks with, but make more sense if viewed through the lens of Kwon's work from her "Like Any Other" series. Exhibited in various cities and exhibitions since its inception in 2015, the series incorporates Korean textiles into quilts and paintings that comment on othering experiences based on gender and ethnicity.

These same Korean textiles form a framework for Unapologetically Asian's COVID-19-related social commentary.

"I decided to create vibrant Korean patchwork masks to unapologetically celebrate my ethnic identity and confront coronavirus-related racism prevalent today," Kwon said. "I'm deeply aware of how I may be misperceived not only as a perpetual foreigner, but now during this pandemic, as also a carrier or cause of the coronavirus."

This claim is not baseless. Anti-Asian harassment and crimes of all severity, from vandalized restaurants to violent stabbings, have substantially increased since the coronavirus first appeared in the U.S. The resulting fear and anxiety have affected how many Asians — Kwon included — live and act in society.

"When my friends from Korea asked if I'd bought face masks in preparation for the pandemic, I initially told them that there was no point because wearing them in the U.S. was not an option. It felt more dangerous to me," she said. "To wear a mask for protection doesn't necessarily equate to a sense of security if you're an Asian person living in the U.S."

Initially frustrated and defeated by societal pressures to exist quietly and invisibly, Kwon nonetheless refocused her energy into Unapologetically Asian in the hope of effecting societal change. She wants the masks to promote public mask wearing, draw attention to racism against Asians, empower ethnic Asians to celebrate their culture and encourage others to support the Asian community.

She is clearly not alone in feeling this way. Unapologetically Asian has resonated with the public, and Kwon has reported an overwhelmingly positive reaction to her project. "I'm grateful for solidarity with those who've had similar experiences as well as with those willing to listen to the marginalized experiences of Asian Americans today," she said. "It's extremely rewarding to be seen and supported for my ideas and labor."

Kwon has painstakingly created over 60 hand-sewn masks with no plans to stop. Though her intent is to promote awareness of the Asian American experience during the pandemic, she stressed the masks' importance because art is especially needed during these times.

"Creative expression should never be sacrificed because it's a basic human need and right to which everyone is entitled," she said. "I believe that it's essential to take pleasure in art to be reminded of our own sense of humanity."

With that in mind, Kwon asked people to continue supporting the art scenes in their areas, saying, "I encourage people to enjoy a wide range of arts in their daily lives, as well as buy and promote the works of living artists and art workers in their communities."

chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.