Arrival I, 2023

EMANUEL HAHN
Arrival I, 2023
18 x 24
Archival pigment print on Canson Rag Photographique paper
Edition of 7
Signed and numbered by the artist 

Emanuel Hahn (he/him) is a Los Angeles-based photographer/director interested in topics of identity, culture, diasporic experiences and the question of what it means "to belong". His work America Fever is an ongoing staged narrative photo series that intersects Korean cultural and historical elements with mythologies of the American West in an exploration of Korean American immigrant experiences in the 1970s. The title refers to citizens in postwar Korea who, inspired by the image of American culture, desired to immigrate to the US for a better life. These staged scenes reflect the luster and romance of an American West coming out of the Hollywood age.

Hahn’s work explores themes of cultural identity and the immigrant experience in the United States. He draws on history, archival photography, Western and Korean art, and personal memories to construct scenes that show different facets of the immigrant experience. He is interested in challenging simplistic notions of the American immigrant process - whether it's the model minority myth, or the bootstrap model - and also complicating the seemingly linear idea of assimilation.

In Arrival I, a couple looks towards their future - a seemingly insurmountable obstacle of surviving and assimilating in a new country. The setting, where land, water and mountains meet, represents the various terrains they've crossed to arrive in this new land of opportunity. Salton Sea, where this photo was taken, was once a glitzy tourist destination for the rich and famous, but is now a decaying lake deposited with toxic waste; perhaps a symbol of the disillusionment that many immigrants feel in their pursuit of the American Dream.

Hahn notes, “I align with For Freedom's mission of using art to educate and challenge our understanding of our country's history. I want people to dig deeper into the stories of minorities and the historically oppressed in the United States, to understand the systemic forces that hinder their progress. Finally, I hope that through the sharing of art, people feel empowered to adjust their attitudes and behaviors to effect positive societal change.”

For Freedoms is excited to support our fellows through sales and community-building opportunities; artists will receive 50% of the net proceeds of sales of their artwork. 

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