Gina Ariko Marioni, 29
Washington
Mixed Japanese-American
I painted my family's collection of sake cups as part of my Tadaima series, meaning "I'm home" in Japanese. These cups have been collected by my family over time, and the oldest ones were purchased by my great-grandparents about 100 years ago.
"Home" is a loaded concept for anyone whose family is spread across continents, who is mixed race and/or an immigrant or child of immigrants, like me. We often feel caught in the in-between, partially belonging in multiple places, but not fully belonging anywhere, at the same time. This was especially painful for me to accept at the start of the pandemic, when I didn't know when I'd be able to see my family overseas again. The idea of being "home" felt less tangible than ever.
For this reason, I found a deep sense of comfort in the tangible household objects that had been collected and passed down in my family over time. It felt like an immediate connection to family that I could physically hold on to, despite the time or distance that separated us.