The Weight of Souls - Self-Portrait

Plaster, bronze powder, printable fabric, and resin
~28'' (H) x ~40'' (W) x ~15'' (D) for each piece
2020 - current

This work is part of a larger series, The Weight of Souls, created in response to the pressures I experienced as a woman, Asian immigrant, and former scientist. My photo sculptures, made with mixed media, trace stages of empowerment, healing, and self-discovery. By challenging toxic social norms, I redefine identity and explore a life beyond external expectations. This body of work invites reflection on individuality and raises the questions that continue to haunt me: What distorts our humanity? And what does the American dream mean today?

————- Each title of the piece serves as one line of a poem ————-

She is deafened by the coaxing lies.

The shining hands also try to blind her eyes.

Her brain is pierced to make her comply.

All the curses make her lose her soul and mind. 

Splitting in half, violently they rive.

Removing her existence, they rip her while she is alive.

Gouging her in the eyes, she couldn’t defy.

Cutting her mouth off, she couldn’t even sigh.

I hear her scream when I walk by.

I catch her in the air when she falls from the sky. 

I lift her up to let her tears dry.

I wring her tears out while she asks why.

I let her rest in my palm so then she can go back to the fight. 

It is life.

To all the pain and hurt, we shall say goodbye.

In the end, everything will be ok and we will all be all right.