Referencing the Frame

In referencing works from mainstream art and photography, which most people are familiar with, I want to speak about the period of my life, where arts education was not prioritized. I barely know about Vietnamese art, much less about Vietnamese photography, and European art or American photography are the two main things that were taught to me during my years living abroad. It is in a way a reclamation for myself to be able to appropriate these works and insert them into the context of Vietnam, how I live, how we live, and how I see the world around me.

References used in the work As You Grow Older may range from subtle and non-overt to bold and conspicuous, but they typically involve something easily recognizable. I always wonder what it would look like for someone like me to be inserted into the scenarios.