Celebratory Cake
Every ceramic component of these sculptures is porcelain and handbuilt using the coiling method. They are all inspired by the objects one would find on a Vietnamese home altar (a vase for flowers, sweet treats/food, and an incense holder). These altars often contained photos of late family members. The altar is a place to honour and remember our ancestors, to remember our past and where we come from.
Each sculpture consists of different ephemeral elements which contrast bluntly against the clay (the unmovable porcelain versus the melting wax, wilting flowers, and ebbing incense). There is also the suggestion of the ‘tainting’ the porcelain’s stark white ‘purity’ with the intricacies of colour and life. This can be seen most clearly in Celebratory Cake, where the wax of the birthday candles coats the glossy frosted exterior of the porcelain. This represents the messiness of a diasporic identity.