Tara Pixley, PhD. A quirky take on the immigrant visual narrative that complicates our increasingly fraught relationship to the American Dream. By offering a peek at a lonely life in suspended animation, the photographer and their collaborator, Win, push us to question what is the value of emigrating to the U.S., if any.
"Win or Lose" captures the poignant narrative of Win, a Chinese immigrant who arrived in New York City at the age of 15. The series portrays his isolated existence within the confines of Flushing, Chinatown, where he navigates daily life amidst linguistic barriers and limited social support. Images highlight his inadvertent entanglement in a money-laundering trap, which restricts him to a monitored life with an ankle bracelet. The project reveals the nuanced, often unseen struggles of Chinese immigrants in America—quiet hardships shaped by legal, cultural, and emotional displacement.
