At just fourteen, Janice Yang and her family were forced out of their comfort zone when they left South Korea for the U.S. amidst economic turmoil.

For two decades, she worked unpaid at a sushi restaurant while dreaming of becoming an artist. Her paintings often feature self-portraits in bustling kitchens, surrounded by dreamlike clouds and distant vistas, symbolizing her longing for home.

Salmon are a recurring motif: they represent both the perseverance of dreams and the yearning to return to origins. They remind Yang of her unfulfilled artistic aspirations and her family’s financial struggles.

Yang also draws on Korean art history, blending classical techniques with Western methods to explore ideas of home and identity. Her work is set to be showcased in Johannesburg and Chicago next month.