I am a writer, artist, filmmaker and critic. Many of my writings are auto-ethnographic, in which I use my personal and familial experiences to discuss collective cultural memory. With compassion, I delve into the topics of institutional oppression and generational trauma. As a filmmaker, my methods are informed by making documentaries and writing essays. I “write” — or, in other words, compose films with images, sound and captions. To me, composition is two-folded: not only do I employ the viewfinder to compose the rectangular image, I use the process of film editing to elaborate the amorphous relationships among visual, audial and textual surfaces. A literary equivalent of my films would be the prose poem, a form in which narratives emerge out of associative imagery. Themes I contemplate through my films include home, personal agency, language and time.
T,M,RR,W (2021) - still image from short film (2'5''), music by Vogel Ray. Official selection for the 18th Athens Digital Arts Festival and the 45th Norwegian Short Film Festival. Synopsis: An off-sync mirror. A portal of touch.
What falls resurrects. What dances gains consciousness. What rises repeats.
Open Art Speak (2022) - For this project, I interviewed 10 artists in Rotterdam about their work and their challenges. The name of the project, Open Art Speak, reflects my intent to create a space for honest discussions on artist lives and artistic practices. Informed by a sense of friendship, these conversations critique the institutionalized "International Art English" which obscures the artists' struggles and normalizes the neoliberal logic of (self-)exploitation. I have two hopes with this project: first, that artists find solidarity and inspiration as they read about experiences of their peers; second, that these accounts give a more accurate idea of the realities of artists and thus contribute to wider public and cultural policy debates. Visit https://openartspeak.com
since brass nor stone nor earth nor endless sea (2021) - excerpt from short film (7'4''). Synopsis: In a prison guarded by the blind, her languages become rhythms. A fly buzzes, flowers dry, soup boils over — there is an inevitability in the air. Small things seem infinite, as thoughts take on the shape of sounds.
Cannonball and other stories: or, how to hold an image (2021) - excerpt of performance lecture during the Inward Outward Symposium in October 2021. In this performance lecture, I deconstruct an archive film from the EYE film collection— looking deeply into the emotions the film holds and questioning how to hold a contested image. My presentation consists a collage of written script, voice (both my own and computer-generated voices) and photographs, archive images and videos.
there is no death in gravity (2020) - excerpt from short film (7'37''). Synopsis: What is the sound of a heartbreak? When does an apple die? I listen to a mundane cosmo through the footsteps of my neighbor.
there is no death in gravity - projection view
Querida (2019-?) - excerpt from documentary. Due to COVID-19 constraints and changes, this film has been on hold. Synopsis on Vimeo.
passage (2019) - 1'11'', HD video with stereo sound
Selected Statuses (2018) - Zine made for Yami-ichi Internet Market. Utrecht, NL, 2018. Fifty facebook statuses of the author in non-chronological order.
Fold (2018) - Fold is a book of the human moments surrounding loss, mourning, understanding and catharsis. It consists of twelve open-licensed photos selected from passersby on Flickr. Each image rests in a square, collapsable origami module, with a palette associated with mourning rituals in certain cultures — white, silver and earth. The photos follow a sequence, indicated by the book cover on the opposite side of each module. When assembled, the cover reads as one strip of "folded sediments" from a mountain. The book folds into a cuboid measuring 9 x 9 x 4.5cm.
