Circle & Square
This is a replica of the centerpiece of my garden. The circle and the square, in Chinese culture, represent Heaven and Earth. I further divided the square into four to spell the Chinese character, "Tian," which means a tilled or cultivated field. This alludes to the presence of humans, who are interlocutors in the dialogue between heaven and earth. Here, the work also speaks to the formation of Chinese identity and its ties to the land.
Driftwood & Stones
I picked up this piece of wood on a morning walk with my dog at Ocean Beach, San Francisco. Thinking it may have drifted over from Japan after the Fukushima earthquake, I brought it home and placed it on my deck along with the bricks that I picked up from Baker Beach. I brought the whole group to the Museum as it seems a good metaphor for my own immigrant experience.
Homage to My Father
This is an homage to my father, who started the spark that began our long journey to America. The cinder block structure represents his physique and personality, with the worn brick representing his heart, which remained true despite the trials and tribulations of his life and times.
These three works were installed in 2013 at the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) in San Francisco, California. I was one of the two artists featured in Creative Spaces, an exhibit to showcase individual artists’ interpretations of their Chinese-American experience.