Sculptures & Installation

Memory Mare
(2024) – Mixed media sculpture, ~16″ x 12″ x 8″
“Home” manifests itself as the space I carve into the world, reappearing from person to person who welcome me with open arms. Revisiting my collection of memories, I gain a sense of validation and belonging from my friends acknowledging myself as an individual, and as someone they enjoy being with. I am deeply appreciative to receive such love from companions who care about me in my home away from home – as Louis Wain put it best: “I Am Happy Because Everyone Loves Me.”

馬
(2023) – Mixed media ceramic sculpture, 6.5″ x 5″ x 10.5″
Representing my past self is a large horse, my Chinese zodiac animal, hair loose in braids but bound by a metal bridle. Titled accordingly, this sculpture is called “馬”, the Chinese character for horse, and serves as a stand-in for my body and self being held back by other forces. When I was younger and sometimes even now, I have felt like I have been prevented from trying new experiences, getting left behind by my peers. As a horse is known for their rebellious nature, I envision leaving my past self behind to break and roam free as someone able to decide for themselves without forceful influences.

I Wish
(2023) – Mixed media ceramic sculpture, 5.5″ x 3.13″ x 10″
I imagine my future to be filled with hope as I’ve created ceramic drawers full of wishes with a horse on top. While the reuse of a horse figure is reminiscent of my past self, it also draws inspiration from the Japanese tradition of ema. The association with horses came to be through the belief that wishes could be granted by sacrificing horses. However, killing actual horses became really expensive, leading to the adaptation of ema instead. With characters spelling “picture-horse”, ema are small wooden plaques traditionally with a picture of a horse on one side. On the other side, people write their wishes and hang the final ema up as an offering to the gods.

Memory Mare featured in Belonging: [home, memory, and root]. 馬 featured in the 19th Annual Guest Juried Undergraduate Exhibition. Muli-media sculpture p_zzle featured in health humanities exhibition, Aurora. Installation constructed as part of PHS' 2020 Fine Arts Week/Night of the Arts. Click for higher res. & use arrow keys to navigate (swipe on mobile).