Subtleties
A look into mental health support in Asian American Families

Exhibition Overview

Although there is a growing emphasis on practicing mental wellbeing in the United States, mental health is still heavily stigmatized in most Asian cultures. As a result, Asian Americans rarely discuss mental health overtly in their homes. The lack of open conversation can lead to the assumption that Asian Americans lack psychological and emotional support from their family. However, growing up in an Asian American household myself, I realized that there were more subtle ways in which we supported each other.

Subtleties is an exhibition that showcases the nuanced ways in which Asian Americans* do and do not find emotional and psychological support from their families. I conducted oral history interviews with two Asian American families and learned about each participant and their familial relationships with regard to mental wellbeing. I asked questions on the types of emotional support they received from their families, and responded to their answers with portraiture, ink drawing, and poetry. These three mediums were then combined into a single exhibition to provide the audience with multiple entry points for engaging with the Asian American mental health experience in a nuanced manner. Without written context, the visual artworks can appear as mundane snapshots from the subjects' daily lives, presenting no explicit connection to psychological wellbeing. However, the accompanying quotes and poems show how these small interactions provided strength and support for the subject during times of low mental health.

Overall, I hope to provide a glimpse into the subtle ways in which emotional support exists, particularly within Asian American family structures. Despite the subject population being Asian Americans, I invite everyone to not overlook the importance of small interactions we have with our families and the effect they have on our overall mental wellbeing.

*Due to the limited scope of this study, I interviewed only first and second generation east Asian Americans. First-generation or immigrant Asian Americans were defined as those born outside of the U.S. Second-generation Asian Americans were defined as those born in the U.S. with at least one foreign-born parent.

Lily Han-generation I

Madison Zhao: Could you describe some of the lowest or toughest chapters of your life?

Lily Han: “I remember in medical school I was just a really bad test taker. There was a huge difference [between my clinical and exam scores] because I would go into panic. I remember even in medical school because my father, when I didn’t do well in tests, he would literally sit across from me and help me through it. He wasn’t upset, I mean I knew he was concerned I may not pass medical school, but I did so well clinically that the grades just pulled me through. Even though my dad was silent, he was always watching and monitoring my academic progress. For example, even though I never shared, if I said okay I didn’t do so well in this one [test], he would pull out whatever it is I was weak at, and he would just sit there and help me through.”

Stillness

The house is still, silent, but not empty.

What stillness lacks in words, in chatter, in discourse,

it makes up for in understanding and solitary companionship.

Although my chest pounds to the thoughts

that race in rhythm through and about my mind,

I make sure these dissonant sounds are invisible to you.

I make sure to not disturb the silence of the house

with my cacophony of panic.

So here I am with contained cacophony

behind the quiet of my textbooks.

And you sit still by my side.

And still you sit by my side.

"Lily Han and father seated together at table" Ink, 2022

Emily Han-generation II

In Between

We talked in transit.

In between places,

we had conversations that

started in the calm shallow

and inched toward

tumultuous deep waves of my coastal mind.

You sensed the storm ahead,

and guided me to deal with the rumbling waters

before they consumed my calm too.

Madison Zhao: “Besides discussing basics of work or school and what you were doing, did you ever talk to your parents about how you were feeling…Did you ever have any deeper conversations growing up?”

Emily Han: "On a daily basis, I think not really. But there were moments when I would tell my mom like, ‘this is crazy.’”

Lily Han: “Yeah I think you just grew up happy most of the time. You were healthy and active. But there was a period of time, remember, back in tenth grade you [Emily] were down so much, We would have those car talks. I would pick Emily up and on the way home, even if it was two and a half miles away, we would have our little car talks. We would share about the day and we would talk, sometimes we talked a little about guys and we talked a little about stress but a lot of the time I could sense you stress.”

Emily Han: “Yeah you know, there's just a part of me that if you didn’t sense it, I was just reluctant to share.”

"dashboard during car talks" Ink, 2022

Frank Liu- Generation I

Madison Zhao: “How has your family supported you, specifically can you give me one way they supported you that you felt was the most meaningful to you”

Frank Liu: “I mean they raised us I guess. I guess it’s just like regular kids, they provide food shelter, they weren’t quite there to provide emotional support which forced me to learn on my own and develop a support system with friends outside. But then I guess early on, in business having their financial support. Once I entered the business world, having their support was good”

"Furniture store opened by Frank Liu " Ink, 2022

BENJAMIN Liu-generation II

Madison Zhao: “How did your parents support you throughout the college application process*?

*Benjamin described the college application process as being one of the lowest seasons of his mental health.

Benjamin Liu: “During the college application process, my parents made sure to applaud my small victories, like writing a great essay or hitting submit for another application. While they might not seem like much, these small gestures motivated me to finish more applications and helped me maintain a more positive mindset while at it. Most significantly to me, towards the end of the application process, my parents told me that no matter how my applications went, they still loved me and knew that I would succeed irrespective of the school I chose to attend. It meant the world to me, and I feel so grateful to have parents who love and support me as unconditionally as they do.”