Artist Statement

With the series here, Hidden Geometry, I used the perspective diagrams of artist John Ruskin to puzzle out family relationships. Ruskin brought together from Renaissance art the ‘necessary rules’ based on plane geometry to form a system for creating the illusion of depth and space on a flat surface. In my hands, these clever constructions would suggest, in addition, a means to investigate the past, my childhood and youth, years that had remained so troubling to me. 

Power dynamics, issues of conflict or contradiction, our alliances and rivalries, are counterbalanced with times of reconciliation, healing, and the resolution of earlier dilemmas—the good memories. I wanted to address our family struggles. Using geometric diagrams, size, and scale, I could visualize our interactions and gain insight into our motivations.  This process helped me to understand my parents and why they acted as they did,  both as individual personalities and as exemplar-representatives of Chinese culture. From my father’s stories,  I got to know my grandfather, whom I  would never meet. I wanted to tell his final story because he really came alive for me.  Finally, our family’s obsession with sharing a wide range of culinary experiences of all cuisines, including Chinese, earns mention in the piece, The Two Paths.