Artist Statement:
Title: “WoreFair”: Memorial
This work is part of the series “All Wars are the Same War.” The terrain, conflicts, and disputes may vary, but the human war experience does not. I am dedicating this memorial to all mothers who have been affected by wars. The abundance of memorial sites filled with flowers and memorabilia affects me emotionally as a mother. The curved shape sculpture mimics a pregnant woman, and industrial steel symbolizes endurance and resilience. Hundreds of hand casted colorful candy-like plastic flowers speak about how war disregards human lives. Throughout centuries, the significance of flowers has been given out during celebratory times and as a gift of sympathy. I chose to take the word Warfare apart and use its homophone. “Wore” and “Fair” is spelled in all white flowers. “Wore” is a homophone for the word “War,” and “Fair” is the homophone for “Fare”. The act of war wears thin on everyone, and war is not fair for both sides. White symbolizes death, innocence, and purity in some cultures, and it rings true in my Laotian culture. I chose warm colors to speak about love, death, and motherhood. Dates of all wars written on the back remind us that humans could learn from the past.
Medium: hand cast resin flowers, spray paint and metal
Size: 70 inches (L) x 24 inches (W) x 36 inches (H)
Site: James Polk Museum, Columbia, Tennessee
Studio Assistance: Jarrod Houghton and Zoe Houghton
Title: “WoreFair”: Memorial
This work is part of the series “All Wars are the Same War.” The terrain, conflicts, and disputes may vary, but the human war experience does not. I am dedicating this memorial to all mothers who have been affected by wars. The abundance of memorial sites filled with flowers and memorabilia affects me emotionally as a mother. The curved shape sculpture mimics a pregnant woman, and industrial steel symbolizes endurance and resilience. Hundreds of hand casted colorful candy-like plastic flowers speak about how war disregards human lives. Throughout centuries, the significance of flowers has been given out during celebratory times and as a gift of sympathy. I chose to take the word Warfare apart and use its homophone. “Wore” and “Fair” is spelled in all white flowers. “Wore” is a homophone for the word “War,” and “Fair” is the homophone for “Fare”. The act of war wears thin on everyone, and war is not fair for both sides. White symbolizes death, innocence, and purity in some cultures, and it rings true in my Laotian culture. I chose warm colors to speak about love, death, and motherhood. Dates of all wars written on the back remind us that humans could learn from the past.
Medium: hand cast resin flowers, spray paint and metal
Size: 70 inches (L) x 24 inches (W) x 36 inches (H)
Site: James Polk Museum, Columbia, Tennessee
Studio Assistance: Jarrod Houghton and Zoe Houghton