Miki Goerdt 
Between You and Me 
2021 
8" x 10"
Gelantin monoprint and watercolor 

 

Throughout the pandemic, social justice uprising with the Black Lives Matter movement, and increased xenophobia against Asian individuals, I struggled to navigate conversations with others who held different views. The image describes an interaction between two individuals whose backgrounds differ greatly, myself and another. Our intersecting identities along lines of race, gender, culture, ethnicity, and other more subtle categories affect our everyday communication. It's not just about understanding words of others. There are so much more in the air between us. Do you see it? You and I may look like we are talking about the same thing, but are we? How do our intersecting identities, mine and yours, shape my perception in the conversation with you? How do your identities affect your own perception? How do we come to understanding?