REFUGE SERIES - ARTIST STATEMENT
This series is another way to question what belonging means to each of us. I have been an immigrant all my life and I am constantly trying to define this question. I use wildlife to open this subject, which is increasingly challenging with so much displacement happening across the world for both humans and wildlife.
Most animals find protection in flora. I use the idea of the broken branch to discuss what it means to have a home, a refuge. This work is about all animals, including humans, who find themselves in unfamiliar surroundings. We all seek to feel safe. Because I'm a foreigner, I examine the hardships and trauma of migrations.
I'm intrigued by what shelter means to different people. Is it your house, your country, your community, your children, familiarity, a healthy ecosystem, a spouse, a job, quiet, or even objects? I want to know how one can feel safe and have a sense of belonging. Can one truly be whole if one have lost some of these things?
Climate change and war are forcing all of us to reconsider this idea of refuge for ourselves and our precious wild animals. It is also our duty and responsibility to the natural world to ensure all species find their refuge for their survival.