portrait of Diep /Ohio, 2019

Given that this moment of us is as mortal as we are, I set out to document Diep’s portrait at the time in the celluloid’s physical medium. In an effort to emulate the texture of Vietnamese portrait paintings in the 20th century (exemplified by some of Mai Trung Thu and Le Pho), we tried to repurpose the theme by recontextualizing the textural significance of the figure in ao dai on the jarring backdrop of Ohio - a barren alienating land that is so far away from the home and culture that we both left. 

Quintessentially, it is merely an effort to capture a glimpse in either of ourselves on the cusp of imminent change, in a nondescript and impersonal temporality, with no regards to time itself; for that we constantly progress, this version of ourselves cannot exist outside of this moment.

For all we have is an intangible recollection of ourselves etch in the physical celluloids, ceaselessly plagued by an obsession with mortality, looming over the object of romanticized timelessness.