Jennifer Qu
The mountain of hard work and sacrifices made by immigrant parents to give their child a better life seems to be never-ending. Generation Gap is a collection of images to compare and contrast what is left from the beginning of my parent’s generation and where we are now.
I’ve grown up constantly comparing the generational gap within my family. From the farmlands in China earning five dollars a day to starting a middle-class family in Canada. The hard work my family has persisted through — being able to grow exponentially within just one generation has left me with many questions. What was life like back then? Am I spoiled? Can I live up to their expectations?
Some of these digital images have been manipulated through photoshop. The images are a reflection of all they’ve been through to get to this very moment in time. It is simply realizing how money changes the way one perceives and lives life, from the food one eats to the way one dresses. The facade that money can buy real happiness comes crashing down.
Jennifer Qu is a Chinese-Canadian photographer based in Toronto, Canada. Working with the digital medium, she has explored many themes related to the family archive, the Chinese-Canadian diaspora, and her cultural heritage. She enjoys storytelling and being able to encapsulate a tone or atmosphere in her bodies of work.