Resilience

Red cord, Trader Joe’s bags, glue

5 x 3 x 3 ft

2024

My parents assimilated relatively well to American life. I was raised in English with few Chinese or Korean traditions. Often, I feel disconnected from my heritage. But my parents’ work ethic, their morals, their outlook on life, their strength - I feel those within me every day. 

Asian cultures view the lotus as a symbol of resilience. This piece features lotus leaves with their veins lined with red cords reaching downwards like roots. The leaves represent older generations, the red string younger generations. Parents cannot always pass down everything to their children, but their children often carry on their essence and preserve their roots in ways that are complex and powerful and last through many generations.