O Lucky Man!, LE Gallery, November 2010 (Part 5)

Biathlon, hand-cut paper, 3 layers, 19x25 inches, 2010
(I made this piece while watching the biathlon during the Olympics. This piece was a tribute to the recent death of Jay Reatard, combined with the iconic image of Marilyn Monroe, as both were targets in a frigid world.)

Unknown Uncle, hand-cut paper, 3 layers, 19x25 inches, 2009
(This piece is based on a photograph from my grandfather's photo album. It is a family portrait with my grandparents, my father, my aunt, and two uncles. I never met my youngest uncle, pictured here as a laughing pre-teen, as he was randomly stabbed in his youth and died in my father's arms.)

O Lucky Man!, LE Gallery, November 2010 (Part 4 - Colour)

(c)lovers, hand-cut paper, 3 layers, 19 x 19 inches, 2010

Knock, Knock, hand-cut paper, 3 layers, 19 x 25 inches, 2010

O Lucky Man!, LE Gallery, November 2010 (Part 3 - Classical references)

Memento Mori, hand-cut paper, 3 layers, 19x19 inches, 2010

I gathered the props and took a photo of the set-up, then transformed it into a cut-out. It's my homage to Dutch still life.

Big Buddha, hand-cut paper, 4 layers, 48x19 inches (2 panels, each panel 24x19 inches, 2010)

O Lucky Man!, LE Gallery, November 2010 (Part 2 - Swirly Girlies)

Swirly Girlies (NOW) and Swirly Girlies (EYE), cut-out with newspaper, each piece 11x14 inches, 2010 

These are two of four pieces I had in this style in the exhibition. They were hung back to back and suspended from the ceiling in front of the "Terracotta Army" and between "Girl" and "$50." The warriors represent power and strength, but here this power and strength is being tested by the ladies. The swirls imply that the warriors are being hypnotized/seduced. I wanted to express that characteristics which we admire/envy, that we consider are lucky, are not always as they appear. Even the strong have their weaknesses.The swirls in this piece also make reference to a target and associates with "Girl" – will she one day become one of the swirly girlies? I also purposefully placed "$50" next to these pieces to show this connection. However, with the swirl acting both as a hypnotic device and as a target, I further wanted to point out the power struggle between the swirly girlies and the terracotta army.

O Lucky Man!, LE Gallery, November 2010 (Part 1)

Artist Statement (excerpt):

Born lucky, or creating your own luck.

Lucky charms. Lucky in love. Lucky to be wealthy. Lucky to be alive.

The swirling curves of tapering circles draw you in, leading your eyes to a hypnotic focal point. A young girl vacantly stands out from a crowd. A horse runs swiftly. A woman finds $50 on the ground – or is she being given this sum from an unknown source? The Terracotta Army bravely protected the mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin, but now stare blankly ahead. An empty bed duels with an injured llama, taking cue from a scene from the film O Lucky Man! in which this series was inspired from.

White shining/ Silver studs (with their nose in flames), hand-cut paper, 3 layers, 25x19 inches, 2010 

The title is a tribute to Patti Smith. I love her haunting voice.

Bed (1:21:53), hand-cut paper, 3 layers, 25x19 inches, 2009

The inspiration for this piece and series can be viewed at 1:21:53 of the Malcolm McDowell film O Lucky Man!. I was utterly petrified the first time I saw it.

Terracotta Army, hand-cut paper, 3 layers, 48x25 inches (3 panels, each panel 16x25 inches), 2010 

$50, hand-cut paper, 4 layers, 25x38 inches (2 panels, each panel 25x19 inches), 2010

Girl, hand-cut paper, 3 layers, 25x19 inches, 2009

I took this photograph in Beijing. I'll provide a more detailed description later when I upload more images from the show, as multiple pieces work together to tell a story.