Kaia Chau
Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Little Ethiopia, Olvera Street, 2020
DIGITAL INKJET PRINTS
18 x 36 INCHES EACH
I’ve always found it interesting that in large American cities, immigrants form and find their own communities. As a child, growing up in Philadelphia, I was always hanging out in Chinatown where many of my friends lived and their parents owned businesses. I believe this was an integral part of my childhood, as it helped me connect to my Chinese heritage while still owning my American identity.
Los Angeles is such a vast and spread out city. After living here for 4 years, I am still constantly discovering new neighborhoods. Each neighborhood in L.A. is unique, especially the immigrant neighborhoods. The architecture and the people are so different in every community.
In this project, I explored and photographed 5 different immigrant communities (Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Little Ethiopia and Olvera Street). Through these photos, I hope to show the differences in each community and highlight the intersection of American and Angeleno culture with immigrant communities.
