Betrayal (California Dreaming)
2024
72”” H x 48” W x 24” D
Wood, ceramics, sand, and found objects.
The installation consists of a collection of objects: a tall incense holder, a ceramic pillow, a green beanie, and ceramic bones. The collection of objects is also a collection of stories. The incense holder is for paying respect to my ancestral roots. The green beanie relates to an expression in Cantonese “wearing a green hat”, describing someone being betrayed by their partner. The ceramic bones are about the story of Nezha, who returns his flesh and bones to his parents to repay for the debt of his birth and all the troubles he brought to his family. The ceramic pillow is my reinterpretation of the traditional Chinese ceramic pillow, and how I feel about having a new identity in the desert landscape in Southern California, where my career dream came true, but my duties as a daughter and a former partner are unfulfilled. The collection of stories centers around the complex feeling of fulfilling one’s dream in a foreign land, and the struggles of losing one’s cultural roots and familial connections.