Chalk on skin, Toronto, Imprint, 2021 As a conscious attempt to create no waste I explore the body as a canvas. Leaving imprints from my surroundings to create art in a collaboration with the body and nature.
Identity
Photograph, Toronto, Identity, 2020
Diane
Photograph, Toronto, Diane, 2020
Diane is an 89-year-old woman from Yuen Long, China. She traveled to Canada at the age of 15 on a boat to come to a country she had never been to and to marry a man she didn’t know. Diane is not only the most impressive and bravest person I’ve ever spoken to but I also have the honour of calling her my grandmother. I wanted to show a series of photos that showed the power of this amazing woman. Shot in a glamorize wardrobe of her own clothing she has acquired throughout the years, it tells a story from her classic Chinese style jacket to her floor length fur coat. Diane loves her glamour’s items shown by the jewelry she wears. The experience of the photoshoot was to make her feel empowered and beautiful, giving her the attention and spotlight that was so lacking in her early life. Many Chinese women lives were decided by others based on their looks. 74 years later and my grandmother’s beauty radiates more than ever, without a man and living her life based on the choices she made for herself and not anyone else.