Tailings came about after research and on-site investigation, I wanted to ask viewers to acknowledge and question the historic neglect of Asian Americans who participated in the settlement of the American West. I learned that in the past Tonopah’s Chinese American citizens had been buried outside the region’s official cemetery under an unmarked mound of waste matter —tailings —removed from the local mines. I wanted to illuminate this contemptuous disregard with a collage of imagery drawn from recycling promotions and technical blueprints. “The bodies are buried like this from the plans that came about from commodification of land and labor. Lives aren’t measured by their inherent worth but their utilitarian purpose.

The Window Gallery, where the work was exhibited, is located on the exterior wall of the Museum building and sometimes the view into the glass is obscured by reflected sunlight. I wanted to fold this aspect of the space into my message. These Chinese American bodies are buried under waste, we can’t see them. Instead, we see ourselves, and the reflection of the exterior world—we see our own lives instead of those hidden bodies. Their identities and existence remain eclipsed by our focus on our own lives.

Digital print on metal, 48 x 36 inches 2023