Wish I Had A Hero Who Looks Like Me (2019)

From Kung’s book, The All-American, which examines what it means to be masculine and American in the context of the desexualized Asian American male. The image highlights an Asian American man in a vintage, quintessentially American room (wallpaper, American flag) with posters of the few mainstream idols and representations of Asian men that Kung saw growing up and in the present day. “There are only a handful of idols we can look up to,” Kung says. “And even when we do, they are whitewashed like the lead character in Dragonball Z Evolution.”

How did you know Corky?

“I only met Corky once on set of a shoot, but his energy and presence was what stuck out to me. He has always been a legend in documenting Asian communities and spaces in NYC and has been an inspiration in a lot of my images."

About the artist

Andrew Kung is a photographer based in Brooklyn, NY, with roots in San Francisco, CA. Through his images, he strives to normalize Asian American beauty, belonging, and individuality. In his first fashion, narrative photo book, The All-American, he aims to redefine what it means to be masculine and American in the context of the desexualized Asian American man. The book premiered on i-D, Dazed, Paper Magazine, and Milk, with a written op-ed on CNN Style. Prior to his photography journey, he attended UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and worked at LinkedIn as a strategy and operations analyst. Andrew, along with Emanuel Hahn, was a Pearl River Mart artist-in-residence with his photography exhibition, "The Mississippi Delta Chinese."

Instagram: @andrew_kung