Art
Artist's Statement
My work is inspired by stories that have connected generations of women in my family. I am striving to transform the perceived duality between cultural and ethnic identity into a more flowing sense of self. Through gathering individual and collective memories, discrepancies and versions have emerged from the telling, re-telling and translation of those memories. The variations and gaps give rise to a questioning, a search for the definition of identity. Yet I do not seek a resolution to those variations or an “absolute” truth; rather, I am excited by the possibilities that they offer. By weaving these strands of relative truths and half-remembered stories together, I am attempting to create a deeper connection with my family that trascends age differences and language barriers.
These stories and memories affect my perception of what and who I am, as well as my relationship to others. I am preserving and exploring the emotional connection to these memories and those who have told them. Too often these emotions, along with the memories, are bottled and buried. Older generations tend to unconsciously perpetuate a patriarchal way of thinking, through choices and actions that affect the fabric of family and community. By choosing to work with memories and stories told by the women of my family, I desire to transform the artificial importance of the male narrative and to shed light on those memories that are often forgotten or regarded as unimportant.
Take a look at my current work or view
work from previous years in the menu on the right.