Maternal Gift
2023
12” x 6” x 4”
banana peels, raffia ribbons, wood block, time
The banana tree only bears fruits once, which Vietnamese people had made into a metaphor for parents’ love and sacrifice. Through this work, I explored my contradictory emotions as I simultaneously appreciated my mother's sacrifices yet resented the guilt she instilled within me. The organic decaying process of bananas causing the yellow pigments to turn brown and mold over time evokes a sense of passing time and memories as they decay over time. Anticipating the time I have left with my mother, I struggle to process our complicated love, guilt, and anticipated death, memories, and change.
2023
12” x 6” x 4”
banana peels, raffia ribbons, wood block, time
The banana tree only bears fruits once, which Vietnamese people had made into a metaphor for parents’ love and sacrifice. Through this work, I explored my contradictory emotions as I simultaneously appreciated my mother's sacrifices yet resented the guilt she instilled within me. The organic decaying process of bananas causing the yellow pigments to turn brown and mold over time evokes a sense of passing time and memories as they decay over time. Anticipating the time I have left with my mother, I struggle to process our complicated love, guilt, and anticipated death, memories, and change.