What Is Missing Maya Lin Analysis

American born, American raised, and of Chinese decent, Maya Lin had an unique journey in relation to her cultural ancestry, describing how “didn’t even realize” she was Chinese until she was older. Although some of her works there are traces of Chinese influence, it is safe to say that Lin is guided more by nature and simplicity, over cultural memory. Lin’s work may not be conspicuously Chinese inspired but her own preferences are much align with Eastern philosophies. As a self-proclaimed “designer” rather than “architecture”, much of Lin’s work is Minimalistic in nature. This can be seen in the multi-media art piece “What is missing” which focuses on Lin’s concern about the environment and man’s relationship to it. The outdoor sculpture is
Lin’s identity is somewhere over a fine line and she may not be certain what sides she stands on as other people chose not to see her the way she sees herself. She does admit to have inherited parts of “Eastern thought” and perhaps subconsciously it guides her art. Much of her viewpoints on monument building, the physicality and simplicity, are much in line with Chinese philosophies such as Taoism which might latently stem from her upbringing. Lin’s background is somewhat similar to mine and different at the same time; Like Lin, my mother left her native country, Nicaragua, because of the Communist revolution. I grew up with a hispanic mother, white American father, in America but in a hispanic-majority community for most of my life. The account she recalls in the interview on how she was asked if her daughters were “half” reminded me how growing up people would ask my mom if my sister and I had the same dad (my sister looks more like our mom, while I look more like our dad). If she’s like me, I would imagine she sometimes identifies sometimes as both, one, then the