A portrait of my grandmother using old photographs, as I have no digital photos of her. She came to the States when I was four and had not returned in her lifetime. When she died, my mother had not seen her for over 13 years. I didn’t know her well but my mom talks about her like she’s the sun. In this piece, she is in an ethereal plane with her family again. Her figure is fuzzy and not fully rendered to mimic the place she holds in my memories. This piece is part of a larger portfolio exploring memories, family, and identity through the symbolism of koi fish. Traditionally, koi fish have represented courage, abundance, and perseverance in the face of adversity. To me, they are the immigrant’s story mascot. They carry a transcendent, effortless beauty that elevate the individual stories told in each piece. The portfolio conveys interacting with Asian identity as an outsider, the symptoms of cultural disconnect, and reunion by rebridging language.