Achingly Familiar Notes, 2023

Trauma in Vietnamese 'tôn thuong' commonly speaks of bodily harm,whereas in English, it speaks of the psychological. I explore this inherent hybridity of meanings through recurring motifs. From the different stages of life to the familiarity of worn bedsheets, I am anchored in my dissociative chaos.

This body of work is both a personal necessity and an offering; a way to understand and move through trauma. It is a poultice to help the process of working through intergenerational cycles. I present the concept of trauma gently so that approaching this deeply uncomfortable subject can be easily approached by each viewer. Trauma, both physical and psychological, is non-exclusionary. This work seeks to show that it is experienced in nuanced ways by people in my community and beyond, into yours.

Cyrus Art Lounge.

paintings right to left.

1. ‘Vernix Caseosa’, oil and charcoal on canvas board.

2. ‘Three Lotuses’, oil and charcoal on canvas board.

3. ‘Not mine to hold’, oil on canvas board.