2019

"Musings on the Dual Cultural Landscapes"

These paintings use the landscape as a way to examine the dilemma of being a dual-citizen. In both places, I experienced the opposite culture in the opposite cultural environment, which resulted in a sort of cultural dilemma: not understanding what it meant to be Chinese and Canadian at the same time; not feeling like I belonged to either one specifically. These paintings are of personally significant locations, not only of where I grew up but also where I began questioning the idea of cultural identity.

My relationship with the landscape is no longer about contrasting rural and urban spaces, but rather it is about unpacking the significance of certain memories and spaces that were seminal to my childhood. Through paint, I manifest a sense of dissonance I found in significant places. By slightly fading the clarity of the subject matter, I express the cultural ambiguity within me. And by moving forward through my work, I have also moved forward in my understanding and growth.