red thread kitties

experience chinatown 2026

Experience chinatown is a festival organized by Pao Arts Center in Boston’s Chinatown celebrating Chinatown’s culture through art and live performances. Artists and local Chinatown busineses are paired up. The intention is to celebrate chinatown and bring more people out to this vibrant part of the city to experience it.

artist statement:

“The red thread of fate is an ancient Chinese folktale about two people connected by an invisible red thread, destined to find one another regardless of time, distance, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or become tangled, but it can never break.

I wanted to reimagine this story by placing the love, resilience, and interconnectedness of the Chinatown community at its heart. The kitties represent the people of Chinatown and the AAPI community, each one unique yet bound together through shared care and belonging. The kitties are a symbol of our luck and are playful, caring, always finding their way back to one another.

The red thread symbolizes more than destiny—it reflects the enduring strength of our community. Despite challenges and change, our connection to one another remains unbroken. Our very existence and resilience in Chinatown are beautiful, lasting, and powerful. What makes Chinatown truly abundant is not its buildings, streets, or food, but the people who bring it to life. Together, we weave a story of love, perseverance, and community that continues to grow with each generation.”

process

It was such a pleasure to bring this mural to life. I have a lot of gratitude for the entire Pao Arts Center team (Especially Maia!), for all friends who came to paint and support, as well as the incredible volunteers. See my process sketches, mock ups below. I also got to design an activity sheet for Pao Arts Center to help engage the public in exploring the murals.