Artist Statement

Once upon a time, on the small island of Taiwan, a set of twins was born - one white and the other red. Their mother carried them into the world during the year of the tiger and so they were destined to be rulers of the Earth – powerful, brave and strict. 

After a few short years, this wise woman brought them to a new land called America and washed them with the unlimited possibilities of their new land. Drenched in Western ideals of freedom, they soon became the dreamy and imaginative creatures of their Western zodiac sign. As Pisces, their sensitive, kind and fluid nature determined that they would be easily led and willing to go with the flow.

This is the legend of my life and how I came to be. As a product of both my Chinese heritage and my American upbringing, I have always felt torn between these two cultures from which I come. My destiny and character may have been pre-ordained by the stars and the moon in the sky, yet the country and culture I belong to will determine the actual outcome.

It has been said that the two fish which represent the Pisces sign shows the duality of those born underneath it and their yin and yang sensibility. Not only do I feel as if I am two entities, but as a twin, I am quite literally a double.

Although my sister and I may look like the same person on the outside, in reality, we are opposites in many ways. It has been a constant struggle to be seen as an individual and not compared to someone I am not.

No matter how much I may try to deny it to the world and to myself, my life is undeniably linked to that of my sister and I will never escape my past. That does not mean however, that I cannot shape my own future.

The ancient art of painting on silk with wax and dyes is the medium which best represents the essence of who I am and the divergent cultures from which I come.

The Silk Road is a well-known route from East to West and a journey I myself have taken. The crackle and drips of wax are like the accidents in my own life – unpredictable and impossible to control. The layer of wax concealing the true colors beneath teaches that even the artist cannot know the work in its true form until the process is complete.
Thus, it is through my art that I have learned not to let destiny rule my life. It is by accepting the cracks as they happen, the drips as they come and expecting the unexpected that I will live my happily ever after.

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