Mesain
Shoutout to the original Mesain trailblazers like Chantal Peñalosa Fong—Mexican-Chinese conceptual baddie whose art makes time stretch and bureaucracy feel poetic. She’s out here putting border towns and diasporic silence in museums while Wasains are still debating whether bubble tea is “problematic.”
The OG Mesains came through in the 17th century, got called Chinos, and got looped into the whole “fourth root of Mexico” situation alongside the Indigenous, the European colonizers, and the African peoples. So basically, we’ve been here. We’re not new, we’re eternal. Like mole stains on abuelita’s apron or that one cousin who keeps asking if you can translate anime.
The OG Mesains came through in the 17th century, got called Chinos, and got looped into the whole “fourth root of Mexico” situation alongside the Indigenous, the European colonizers, and the African peoples. So basically, we’ve been here. We’re not new, we’re eternal. Like mole stains on abuelita’s apron or that one cousin who keeps asking if you can translate anime.
Bro, I’m not just Asian—I’m Mesain. I ghost ride the whip to Vicente Fernández and watch Wong Kar-wai in a lucha mask.
Mesain by MatthewDonovan May 5, 2025
Words you can keep
