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| self-portraits | ||
| My collages were inspired by the words of Thich Nhat Hanh, a zen buddhist teacher, as well as a trip I made to Vietnam. Both drew me to an exploration of my ancestors, biological, spiritual, and cultural. The collages incorporate images of my ancestors, images I associate with them, and joss paper — the paper that buddhists in Vietnam and other countries burn to honor the memory of their ancestors. The paper that forms the base is handmade Vietnamese paper. Each collage also has images of my hand or foot, because, as Thich Nhat Han says, I carry my ancesters in every cell of my body. This is also why I call these collages "self-portraits" — in depicting my ancestors, I depict myself; in picturing myself, my ancestors are unavoidably pictured as well. | ||
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| Self-portraits:
Dad,
2004 collage 11" x 17" |
Self-portraits:
Sonia, 2004 collage 11" x 17" |
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| Self-portraits:
Isadora, 2004 collage 11" x 17" |
Self-portraits:
Martha, 2004 collage 11" x 17" |
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January 22, 2008