Technique & medium: A still from a video multimedia presentation.

Tell us about this exhibition
The main concept is to portray my family’s beliefs and traditions in raising female family members. The name of the show, Possessed/Poach, is a push-and-pull between active and passive, which reflects my attempt to come to terms with myself and my gender as perceived by my family and the people surrounding me.

What inspires it?
The art-making process to me is like I’m having a conversation with myself. Sometimes it can even turn into a self-scrutiny. For this show, the dialogue has become a lot more intense. Several questions came up, some of which I could answer, some of which I couldn’t. I began to question the rules and regulations in life. The most crucial thought, however, is how I am treated by my female relatives.

What’s a background to this piece?
This is a screen capture taken from my VDO titled Online Processing. It’s a metaphor, aiming to reflect that instant connection between two distant objects. It’s also based on the belief that female family members have to be raised by those of the same sex to please our ancestors.

Who are the women here?
The woman on the left is my mother and that’s me on the right. I make it a point to appear in all of my video works because they’re all based on my own experience.

What do you hope to achieve with this exhibition?
To address some of the questions I’ve had regarding how I was raised. At the same time, it also serves as a reminder to myself and others to accept their family the way they are.

Keeping up with Posessed/Poach Exhibition at Tang Contemporary Art