did you eat yet?

2023

Our identities are formed over our entire lives, we shift and change as we add and remove aspects of ourselves. This artwork focuses on the themes of family, growing up, and generational and cultural wisdom. The combination of text, embroidery, and traditional motifs combine together to create a piece that speaks to my experiences growing up and how I've come to appreciate my family and culture.

The black text is a repeat pattern of the phrases and admonishments that my elders have repeatedly told me over my life. When young, we don't always appreciate the wisdom that our elders pass onto us, but as I have gotten older, I have come to see why they were so important. These phrases are printed onto a duvet cover, a comfort item that is special to me.

The embroidered and printed motifs are based on ones found frequently throughout Chinese art, textiles, and ceramics. The symbolism comes from ancient traditions, but the stylization brings them into the modern world, and the context of my specific identity. For example, wisteria is a beautiful flower, and aesthetically pleasing to my personal tastes. But it also represents the journey of life because of the way it grows. Cloud motifs are very iconic in Chinese art, and represent rain. My Chinese name contains the character for rain.

My culture is part of my identity, and my elders have taught me so much about life. This piece is a type of self portrait, of me embracing and finding comfort in who I am and where I am from.