| Being biracial The HAPA Project by Renee Moe |
| Kip Fulbeck is currently professor and chair of Art at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has spoken and exhibited in over 20 countries. He is the author of Paper Bullets: A Fictional Autobiography and the director of 13 short films including Banana Split and Lilo & Me. Kip is working on The Hapa Project and has a new book coming out this spring. |
| The mission of The Hapa Project is to promote awareness and recognition of the millions of multiracials of Asian/Pacific Islander descent in the U.S.; to give voice to multiracial people and previously ignored ethnic groups; to dispel myths of exoticism, hybrid vigor and racial homogeneity; to foster positive identity formation and self-image in multiracial children; and to encourage solidarity and empowerment within the multiracial/Hapa community. I met Kip while attending UW-Madison, and recently had the opportunity to speak with him via e-mail about his upcoming project. AW: You've spent most of your career focusing on multiracial identity. What drives you to talk about this around the country? KF: I work autobiographically, so whether I want to focus on the subject matter or not, all my work will always be about being Hapa -- as well as about being male, about being from Southern California, about playing guitar, surfing, etc. There's a huge void of discussion regarding the millions of Hapas out there -- as well as the multiracial majority of the rest of the world -- and people are starting to figure this out in a big way. Personally, I'm pushed to make art, to try and channel my passions and politics into something productive. I love speaking to audiences ... I've just been fortunate enough as an artist that people relate to the work. AW:Please tell Asian Wisconzine readers about your new book. KF: The book's title is Part Asian, 100% Hapa and it comes out April 30. It's a series of photographic portraits of Hapa people of all ages from all across the U.S., along with their handwritten responses to the question "What are you?" I photographed over 800 people for the book, of which 115 will be featured. Chronicle Books is publishing it, and it will be available everywhere. There's a preview at www.thehapaproject.com. AW: What are your thoughts about being biracial in a state like Wisconsin where there is not as much ethnic diversity as, for example, California? KF: Well, the issue is different there just as the issues of being API (Asian Pacific Islander), non-White, or "alternative" are ... Sometimes everything in L.A. is so in your face, or conversely, so purposefully ignored -- I mean thousands of people drive by day laborer lines without thinking about it and yet they complain about illegal immigration. People don't want to pay taxes to support living wages, yet want cheap labor to get their lawns mowed. That type of denial doesn't seem quite so pervasive in Wisconsin, perhaps because the diversity is not as prevalent. Then again I've been mostly in college towns, which tend to be more open-minded. One thing I've noticed about being in Wisconsin the past few times has been a refreshing openness and curiosity about the issues of race, ethnicity, and identity. Like anywhere, there's often a prevalence for viewing race as a black/white paradigm, but that's changing as well. If you would like to learn more about Kip Fulbeck or his projects, information is available at his website: www.redsushi.com/ Notes: / haopa (hä'pä) adj. 1. Slang. of mixed racial heritage with partial roots in Asian and/or Pacific Islander ancestry. n. 2. Slang. a person of such ancestry. [der./Hawaiian: hapa haole. (half white)] |
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