The Place Where We Re-Meet Ourselves

Exploring the different ties that bind us and give us the ability to heal, to create proud flesh, is something that cannot be done without the context of relationships. 

The creative piece which emerged tied into our exhibition theme but also my dissertation, which focused on trauma, healing and growth for Vietnamese civilians and refugees affected by the legacy of the Vietnam War.  To produce this piece, I reflected not only upon what I learnt from my dissertation process, but also the relationships I have had with my close family and with myself over my life, specifically navigating our identities and challenges as first-generation Burmese immigrants living in the UK. 

My ensuing piece is a self-portrait of my personal experiences, but it also represents the experience of my family and anyone who has ever experienced division or disconnection –  that feeling of being an outsider. However, it also ultimately tries to represent how the relationships I have had in my life have helped me to reconcile with this feeling, acting as a map to a place where we all might re-meet ourselves.