FRANK FREEMAN

前言

在全球一體化的趨勢下，我們對混血兒並不陌生，然而，在那異國的面孔背後，他們又是一個怎樣的人呢？ 

藝術家在一次人像拍攝中，與混血模特兒談話裡發現， 在身份認同與歸屬感方面， 有著相類似的掙扎。亦發現他們在性格特徵，語言，創意，藝術才能方面的發展上有明顯優勢，那是因為他們的父母基因不同的優化？ 多元文化環境的刺激？還是他們自己的天賦？ 

為探究竟，藝術家集結不同混血兒的故事，以訪談對話及人像攝影的方式，探究混血兒在現今社會的認知性及其自身的認受性，去了解他們掙扎的背後又如何確立自己的身份。 

「The Mixian 」有別於「 Eurasian 」 

「 Eurasian 」 指的是歐洲白種人與亞洲黃種人的混血兒，

「The Mixian 」一字是藝術家為今次作品創作的名稱，泛指所有跨國，不同色種，不同語言文化的混血兒。

Introduction

As globalization progressed, we became familiar with multi-racial people. Despite that, what are their true identities behind those exotic faces? 

During a portrait shooting, the artist had a conversation with the mixed-race model and discovered that they shared similar struggles with finding self-identity and their sense of belonging. They also happened to realize they hold an obvious advantage in developing their personality traits, language skills, creativity, and artistic sense. Can it be explained by the improved genes from interracial parents? Or the stimulus from a multicultural environment? Or is it simply their own talent? 

To explore the answer, the artist gathered different stories from mixed-race people. Through recording interview conversations and portrait photography, he explores the awareness of today’s society and probes into the self-acceptance of the interviewees to understand how they establish their own identity throughout the struggles. 

(The Mixian is different from Eurasian, where Eurasian refers to a person of Caucasian European and Asian parentage. The term “The Mixian” is a title created by the artist for this project, which generally refers to mixed race people of all nationalities, skin colors, languages, and cultures.)

About

Where are you from? Who are you?

These questions may not be difficult to answer for people who grew up in one place or whose parents are the same race or share the same culture. But Since 2015, I have encountered a few select friends whose physical appearances show the complexity behind this question. For them, it is not easy to define nationality and identity or a sense of belonging. “Mixian” is a word I coined to describe the new generation of mixed-race youth who have grown up with different ethnic backgrounds.

Their ambiguous self-identifications inspire my project’s concept.
One such individual said to me, “I’ve always struggled with the question of ‘Where are you from?’. It is a rather tricky topic to satisfy, with my mother being from Thailand and my father from Holland. They met and married in Hong Kong and gave birth to me here. Although we are a very close family, each of us, on paper, identifies with a different nationality. My father is a rebellious and carefree man; whereas, my mom is diligent and conservative. I think I have my father’s rebellious streak, but I always do what my mother asks of me! When I go back to Holland, people see me as a foreigner. In Thailand, the locals categorize me as an unknown. Gradually, I came to terms with the fact that I would always be an outsider to the locals of my “hometowns.” Where I am actually from will forever be a question - a mystery waiting to be solved.”

Growing up with multicultural backgrounds, but living with the uncertainty of belonging due to their physical appearances and family heritages, these people will always be considered outsiders and foreigners, no matter whom they think they are. This story resonated with me.

My personal story has its own complications, have grown up with more than three different cultural backgrounds, I easily identify with this lack of belonging. I was raised in a remote village in Chaozhou, China, and migrated with my family to Hong Kong at the age of sixteen. Whenever approached with the question of “Where are you from?” I find myself feeling confused about my cultural identity. Am I from Hong Kong or China?Instead of just relying on my passport for the answer, I have enjoyed telling friends around the world that I am from Hong Kong, that is, until there’s a reason to share more, like with other Mixians. Through asking pointed questions and mirroring with these individuals, I have the chance to see identity issues from my perspective. I believe that identity is a summation of growing backgrounds, living experiences, and self-discovery, rather than rigid traditions and fixed rituals of a person’s birth country. Whom we choose to surround ourselves with also shapes our upbringing and ethical values.

Since mid of 2019,  I started to inviting The Mixian to my studio for the interviews, and the portrait shoots also, I got to discover even more from their personal experiences. From our conversations, I found out these people who grow up with mixed race and multicultural backgrounds tend to have a broader range of understanding and different kinds of values and morals. They tend to show many diverse talents and speak different languages. And through the struggle of identity development, they grow a new concept of identity, which is often that of a global citizen. Many people with multicultural upbringings do not consider themselves belonging to a particular country or specific place, but mentally free living on earth.

This Mixian project is a study combining anthropology, sociology, and biology from the history of mixed-race individuals. Through this project, I  understand that  how people see one person’s identity based on their color and other attributes.