EGG of Chaos (2022-2023)
This photo series reflects my exploration of cultural identity, with each image representing Chinese mythological stories or characters. As a Chinese-born, first-generation immigrant raised in South Africa, I’ve never felt fully rooted, lacking a connection to both my birthplace and upbringing. Growing up in transnational environments distanced me from my ethnic identity, and my tie to China feels more like a myth. Similarly, in South Africa, my ethnicity automatically marked me as foreign. This sense of detachment was intensified by the code-switching required between home, where tradition thrived, and the outside world, where different behavior was expected.
I began exploring the idea of constructed environments, recognizing that individuals and their identities are shaped by their surroundings. The objects we choose reflect aspects of ourselves and the identities we craft. In this series, I explored how objects, placed in different contexts, can construct and transform identity. I gained access to various homes, randomly selected to highlight the unconscious diversity of influences on identity. Using their furniture, objects, and household items, I recreated scenes that aligned with Chinese myths. By inserting myself into these environments, I reconstructed my own identity. Each setup existed only within the frame for two hours, after which everything returned to its normal state.
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Tracing History (2022)
A series of intimate photographs using coal and nature to imprint on the skin, it’s a healing journey connecting with ancestors and family history.
I can create a world as fast as I make this dish (2020)
Food preparation in a home often involves mundane actions, but its power in shaping our heritage should not be overlooked. As a 1.5-generation Chinese immigrant in South Africa, I aimed to fit in Growing up in two different environments, I have a hard time navigating myself and felt detached from my cultural identity. My art reflects on the conversation around home environments and the idea of intimate relationships within immigrant families. I explore this subject through photos of dining and tea drinking which highlights the complicated dynamic of the parent-child relationship.