bio

‍ ‍ Mailinh Ho (b. 1997 Buffalo, NY) is a Vietnamese-American painter living and working in Indianapolis. Working in oil painting and watercolor, she explores the complexities of contemporary identity through playful iconography and portraiture. Ho received her BFA in painting from Herron School of Art + Design in 2021 and has since shown in exhibitions at Storage Space Gallery, Sugar Space Gallery, The Stutz, Satellite Art Show, the Indiana Global Economic Summit, Patina Gallery, Harrison Center, and the Indiana Statehouse.

artist statement

‍ ‍ Although issues surrounding the portrayal of Asians and Asian-Americans in the media has come a long way since the 1920s, there continues to be a lack of representation and a lingering problem with the tropes of the “Model Minority” and “Forever Foreigner.” The Vietnamese diaspora has resulted in an influx of first generation Vietnamese-Americans who face the struggle of maintaining their cultural heritage while seeking acceptance as a fellow American. 

​Mailinh Ho’s work explores the complexities of contemporary identity through playful iconography and portraiture. Through her self-portraiture she encourages the viewer to examine the contemporary dynamics of race and gender as a result of diaspora through her experience as a first generation Vietnamese-American. Rather than reject either side of herself, her work seeks to reconcile her Vietnamese heritage and American upbringing and celebrate the two together.