Please Fill in the Blanks.

Transferred ink and vinyl on paper
30 in x 22 in
2022

The task of caring for our grandfather in his later years was shared amongst his children and grandchildren who took turns driving him to appointments and speaking to doctors. We translated the gist of what was diagnosed into Vietnamese, disagreeing amongst ourselves what should be revealed. After our grandfather passed away, we found – strewn around my mother’s house - his illness-related notes jotted down on various scraps of paper. Written mostly in English, and sometimes in Vietnamese, these words indicated that he knew more than anyone openly admitted.

In Please Fill in the Blanks, our grandfather’s unspoken words complete an imagined English language assignment containing sentences that attempt to deny illness, death and grief.

*Violent animals, hard-earned cash and mortality were themes of interest to my grandfather. His notes about these topics inspire a series of works about language, currency, geography, familial relationships and the immigrant’s split identity.