2016
Watercolor on Vietnamese silk backed on Cone denim
“Swim Good” is about the migration of Vietnamese political refugees after the fall of Saigon in 1975. Known as the “boat people“, they took their lives into their own hands, as they had took to the seas as a means to freedom.
The imagery I’ve used here is to invoke safety and calmness in the turbulence. The figure is lifting this traditional fishing boat known in Can Tho (my parents hometown) out of the raging waters. The head of the figure is in the shape of a sala flower. The sala flower is known in the Buddhist community as an auspicious sign. These flowers can blossom by the heat of your hands and will fall into your palms. One can only be so lucky to receive such a gift form nature.
2017
Watercolor on Vietnamese silk stretched over found mirror
“Kite Country“ is my attempt to create an offering of some slice of life. If you’ve had the luck to schlep yourself around in Saigon you’ll notice the amount of electrical wires everywhere. It really is something that speaks of the city’s persistence for survival in a jungle. One part man made barrier one part connectivity.
2017
Watercolor and embroidery on silk
“White Light“ is based off my own parents migration story. After getting married they walked from the border of Vietnam and Cambodia to a refugee camp in Thailand. They were then flown to the Philippines to be educated about American culture and basic English before making their way to the United States, and claiming Worcester, Massachusetts as their home.
2018
Watercolor on Vietnamese silk applique
“under the guise of night“ is a meditation on how the inner can inform the outer. That inside us is an expansive landscape that is understood through the contours of what we call a body.
2018
Mixed Media on Vietnamese silk and Cone denim applique
“Guiding Light“ is an experiment in working with found materials. I source my silk from Vietnam and go back every 3-5 years. When thinking about the sustainability of my practice, finding and sourcing textiles with a story has been a large component of creating for me.
2018
Acrylic on canvas
“Passage to the stars“ is a painting depicting a censer. Known as a lư trầm in Vietnamese. It is one of the main components in making an offering and prayer to ancestors.
2018
Acrylic on Vietnamese. silk and Cone denim applique
This painting is to commemorate the amazing cyclist Marshall Taylor. The title comes from the model of my first road bike, a Raleigh Pursuit.
2021
Watercolor on Vietnamese silk
A Xe Om is a motorbike taxi. When you’re a passenger on a motorbike it can be reflexive to hug the driver.
2022
Mixed media on Vietnamese silk, chiffon, and denim applique
Mẹ means mother in Vietnamese. This is a painting inspired by a photo of my mother in 1986. She and my father fled Vietnam by foot and ended in the Philippines before ending up in the US. This photo was a part of a photo album encapsulating that time. My painting is a response to that memory. How has 35 years change the narratives we hold for each other and for ourselves.
2022
Watercolor on clay board
Tết Trung Thu - The mid-autumn festival falls in the beginning or end of September depending on the lunar year. Rothko’s birthday is September 25th. So I’ve painted a bánh trung thu, a mooncake as an offering. My favorite filling is lotus and a salted egg.
2022
Watercolor on clay board
In the kingdom of fruits, if the durian is king then the jack fruit is the prince.
Modular internal Landscapes 5-2-4-6-7
2023
Watercolor on Vietnamese silk, chiffon, Cone denim applique
