Solo exhibition at CFEVA’s Artbox @ Lincoln Square, Philadelphia
This installation is rooted in the human longing for joy and connection in the midst of a tumultuous, unraveling world. In these pieces I continue a body of work that combines the mediums of painting, sculpture and fibers to describe the human urge to cultivate beauty, transcendence and connection with others in the face of great fear and loss. Hanging in the middle of the space, a large rug-based piece utilizes paint, collage and red strips of vinyl to depict a watery landscape with figures cradling balls of light. A patch of blue sky peeks through a dark ground that is woven into the grayish-blue rug.
74” x 52”, acrylic, canvas, rug, vinyl, fabric, yarn
Red stage curtains and skies that appear to fall and press down on the figures below them are motifs I often return to in my work. Here, red strips of vinyl drape down over the scene and weave through it, embodying both sky and curtain at once. The orbs of light may be stars, suns or something else entirely. They represent connection, hope and unconditional love.
74” x 52” rug, canvas, acrylic paint, yarn, fabric, vinyl
At the bottom of the piece I have incorporated an orange pocket, tucked amongst the waves. It is both portal and container and has roots in the legend of baby Moses floating in his basket; a symbol of his mother’s radical hope that he could be saved; a wordless plea to the unknown hands that might hold him. With this hand-sewn pocket I continue my practice of crafting tender containers for bits of trash that my son and I collect as we walk around the city. Under our care, these bits of detritus are recontextualized from trash and symbols of decay into treasures and objects of beauty; a meditation on the theme of radical hope.
Sifter (Hanging Basket,) 2024, pantyhose, tights, lace, thread, yarn and found metal hoop
In this installation, I take my basket and pocket motifs further by hanging hand-made baskets in the space. Constructed from clothing, these vessels reference bodies that have folded and twisted in on themselves in a valiant (and possibly futile) effort to become adequate containers for the sacred.
Solo exhibition at CFEVA’s Artbox @ Lincoln Square, Philadelphia
My 7 year old child, Remy Lai, has collaborated with me on this project by contributing some small sculptures crafted from our gathered treasures, which we have placed on the floor. Remy envisions these objects as powerful artifacts made from ancient materials. In the hands of good people these artifacts can be used in positive ways but in the hands of bad people they can be very dangerous. I found these sculptures, and Remy’s vision for them, to be a poignant example of how perception and imagination can carve a way through the mundane or unwanted parts of life.
