Entering the dream in Won Ju Lim’s California Dreamin’ at the San José Museum of Art.

My silhouette was a giant among palms in the exhibition. It felt like a dream to walk through the darkened gallery and become one with the shadows, silhouettes, and projections. It spoke to California’s dreamy, idyllic reputation and the simultaneous sense of anonymity that comes with its famed cities. When I first moved to California (from a small, rural town on the opposite side of the country), those initial days felt like a dream. It was different from what I imagined, the antithesis of what I grew up with, and amazing all the same. California Dreamin’ is on view until September 30, 2018 at the San José Museum of Art.