“Thinking with an accent”
I am from many places, and I have always wanted to belong, to have a place to call home. I have many cultural identities, which interact with each other and make me who I am.
My practice investigates notions of Identity and Erasure and the intersection of these concepts when applied to cultural and generational crossings. Utilizing printmaking techniques and multi- generational family documents, I enlarge then layer these documents on top of one another. I fuse into the paper, the letters and documents from several generations, embossing them into the surface and binding them together.
During this process I lose and abolish the patterns stamped into the official papers and erase the details, creating a new vibrant identity reminiscent of the mixed languages and cultures where my family lived. Some elements are still visible, while others are completely erased, forming something else.
This obscuring creates a new unreadable, yet unified identity.
Part of the inspiration for this work comes from my research into manuscript writing. A Palimpsest is a manuscript page, from which the text has been either scraped or washed off so that the page can be reused.
The resulting installation consists of two acetate light poles, which interact with a floor based sculptural element inspired by these family documents and create shadows and reflections, asking questions about amorphous shapes of identities.
I view my practice as a collaboration with past generations and with my own memories.
Through this work I wonder if memories, when layered one upon another, become buried in the past or are there remains left from a former life, identity, or time. I try to discover if anybody can recuperate their own past and I question to what extent identity is truly unique or inherent.
