Chú Xam (Vietnamese-American, Nam)

Vietnamese-American Uncle Sam — Gwenn Seemel
*Chú Xam (Vietnamese-American, Nam)*
2008
acrylic on canvas and eyelet
36 x 24 inches

I asked each of the participants in Apple Pie to write something about what it means to be an American. This is Nam’s response.

To be an American is to...

Be Patriotic and to love your country with all your heart.
Love your family and friends and your neighbors, and dont forget to love yourself!
Love and care for each other regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, etc...
To love and to be loved! Thats what it means to be an American.
Last but not least, don’t forget to love April 15^th!

- Nam

When I met with Nam to photograph and interview him for Apple Pie, I already knew that I wanted to combine his likeness with Uncle Sam’s. Much like with this portrait, I’d been searching for a first or second generation American with a specifc heritage who’d be willing to embody a particular American icon as a way of creating commentary—in this case, a criticism of the US invasion of Vietnam in the 1960s.