My studio practice focuses on the Asian American diaspora and the feelings of displacement that arise from being away from one’s homeland. This paper traces the beginning of my journey to find a way to make art that observes and applies Buddhist philosophies, practices and acknowledges the intrinsic energy found in all things. I create sculptures inspired by the qi of rocks to explore my ongoing struggles with my bicultural identity. Through the continuous pouring of wax and plaster that create stalagmites on to domestic objects, I imbue positive qi into my artworks to pass on to whoever seeks it. I use my sculptures to create spaces for other Asian Americans who seek acceptance, familiarity, and relief from cultural alienation.
","abstract_html":"<p>My studio practice focuses on the Asian American diaspora and the feelings of displacement that arise from being away from one’s homeland. This paper traces the beginning of my journey to find a way to make art that observes and applies Buddhist philosophies, practices and acknowledges the intrinsic energy found in all things. I create sculptures inspired by the qi of rocks to explore my ongoing struggles with my bicultural identity. Through the continuous pouring of wax and plaster that create stalagmites on to domestic objects, I imbue positive qi into my artworks to pass on to whoever seeks it. I use my sculptures to create spaces for other Asian Americans who seek acceptance, familiarity, and relief from cultural alienation.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Yung, Karen"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Visual Art","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Graduate School of Art","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Denise Ward-Brown","Heather Bennett","Amy Hauft"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-05-10T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-05-10T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:12:17Z","subjects":["rocks","stalagmites","Yung","Asian","bicultural identity","sculpture","sculptor","Art and Design"],"languages":["English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["https://doi.org/10.7936/kkd5-dh15"],"render_values":[{"text":"https://doi.org/10.7936/kkd5-dh15","href":"https://doi.org/10.7936/kkd5-dh15","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mfa_visual_art/15","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Denise Ward-Brown","Heather Bennett","Amy Hauft"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Yung, Karen"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-05-10T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Graduate School of Art"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Visual Art"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["rocks","stalagmites","Yung","Asian","bicultural identity","sculpture","sculptor","Art and Design"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mfa_visual_art/15"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["https://doi.org/10.7936/kkd5-dh15"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["My studio practice focuses on the Asian American diaspora and the feelings of displacement that arise from being away from one’s homeland. This paper traces the beginning of my journey to find a way to make art that observes and applies Buddhist philosophies, practices and acknowledges the intrinsic energy found in all things. I create sculptures inspired by the qi of rocks to explore my ongoing struggles with my bicultural identity. Through the continuous pouring of wax and plaster that create stalagmites on to domestic objects, I imbue positive qi into my artworks to pass on to whoever seeks it. I use my sculptures to create spaces for other Asian Americans who seek acceptance, familiarity, and relief from cultural alienation.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Every Rock Has a Soul"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Denise Ward-Brown","Heather Bennett","Amy Hauft"],"dc:creator":["Yung, Karen"],"dc:date.available":["2023-05-10T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["My studio practice focuses on the Asian American diaspora and the feelings of displacement that arise from being away from one’s homeland. This paper traces the beginning of my journey to find a way to make art that observes and applies Buddhist philosophies, practices and acknowledges the intrinsic energy found in all things. I create sculptures inspired by the qi of rocks to explore my ongoing struggles with my bicultural identity. Through the continuous pouring of wax and plaster that create stalagmites on to domestic objects, I imbue positive qi into my artworks to pass on to whoever seeks it. I use my sculptures to create spaces for other Asian Americans who seek acceptance, familiarity, and relief from cultural alienation.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mfa_visual_art/15"],"dc:identifier.doi":["https://doi.org/10.7936/kkd5-dh15"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:subject":["rocks","stalagmites","Yung","Asian","bicultural identity","sculpture","sculptor","Art and Design"],"dc:title":["Every Rock Has a Soul"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Graduate School of Art"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Visual Art"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:12:17Z"}