About

Hi, I'm Sammy Yuen, a visual artist and martial artist. I’ve been fortunate to combine my personal and professional lives to serve the community, particularly during the rise of anti-Asian hate. As a life-long martial artist, I adapted my training to develop free self-defense classes for the community.

As a visual artist, I use my work to create drawings that amplify underrepresented stories. My hope is to foster conversations and empathy through my art, offering a long-term solution to anti-Asian hate—one where we eliminate the need for self-defense classes entirely. My ultimate goal is to educate, empower, and inspire others through my work.

The first piece I created as part of my journey into art activism was of Yu and Me Books. What began as a drawing of a single building evolved into drawings of neighborhoods, iconic highways, and eventually Chinatowns across the nation. To me, Chinatowns symbolize the beginning of the American Dream for many immigrants. My dream is to expand my art to explore the impact of war on immigration, creating empathy for anyone forced to flee their homeland.

I think of my artwork as a conversation starter. I aim to create an atmosphere within each drawing that invites people to share their own personal experiences. For example, Chatham/Kimlau Square holds a unique meaning to me. It represents where my father began his American Dream.

During World War II, my father was separated from his mother at just six years old. He eventually made his way from Canton, China, to Hong Kong on his own. As a young man, he found work on an ocean liner that sailed the world. When the ship docked in New York City, he stepped off and never got back on.

I’ve shared some of my personal stories in the descriptions of my pieces, and I would love to hear from you. If any of the artwork resonates with your own experiences, please feel free to reach out and share your story.