Created by
Kenji
Quok Shee in the Redwoods by KenjiLiu in Los Angeles
Quok Shee in the Redwoods
Part of an ongoing series of speculative portraits of Asian Americans whose immigration case files in the US National Archives are compelling and relevant to the present day. Quok Shee was married to Chew Hoy Quong in China but detained at Angel Island (San Francisco) upon arrival in 1916. It took almost two anxiety-filled years for her to be released, only after a judge found that immigration officials had abused their power and withheld information. Here I free her and place her in the peace and ease of a Northern California redwood forest.
Size: 30in (W) X 40in (H)
Meet the Artist
Los Angeles, United StatesI am a painter, muralist, educator, and graphic designer with over 25 years of experience. I have a wide variety of art interests, ranging from figurative portraiture to abstract, process-based paintings. My background in design and arts administration allows me to envision, plan, and complete projects in a timely and visually impactful way. In general I enjoy projects that, based on research, tell stories about a place or community through people, animals, and plants.
Recently I have focused on overlooked individuals and histories in portrait paintings that express stories through figure, clothing, textile patterns, environment, and cultural symbols. As an Asian American immigrant and artist of color, I am interested in reflecting the power and dignity of immigrant communities—very often not represented in public art.
More artwork by Kenji

"and was restrained of his liberty" Wong Kim Ark v. United States (1898)
Portrait Art
30in (W) X 40in (H)


















