The Rivers Secondary College Lismore High Campus
My mother couldn't, but I wish she had
Drawing
Drawing pencils on wood
My mother and I are represented in my body of work, gazing intensely out at the viewer. My mother was disconnected from her Thai culture after immigrating to Australia at the age of nine and was forced to immerse herself in an alien western culture. Due to her deep sorrow and trauma, she could never share her culture with me, even though I wished she could. My work is intended to be viewed from both sides. On the backs of the portraits is a collage from passports and documentation transferred onto tin, laser etched with a culturally inspired pattern.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by studying and interpreting the following artists: Chuck Close, Self-Portrait; Frida Kahlo, The Two Fridas.