Seems like yesterday

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This is a sequence of events that have been illustrated. They are memories drawn onto calico fabric with Indian ink. These events start from when my parents settled in New Zealand and once they built a family of six. The multiple layers that are seen in the work portray a means of expression in which detailed storytelling is approached. These memories are a mixture of happiness, sadness, and traumatizing events. It is a story of struggle in a new land, poverty, getting by, and dirty money.

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You see, my family lived in six different homes as a result of needing larger spaces and along with the increases in rent. Each time rent is increased, even by a small percentage, not all families can manage the costs and therefore would either need to move or find a way to afford living there.

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As a result of transitioning from one place to another, we all had to adapt to certain changes.

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My parents settled in New Zealand in 1990 having known only their native language. It is often difficult for them to communicate with English speakers in the community even now. This is common in Asian cultures where our parents struggle learning to speak in English and so I, like many others, am the daughter to translate everything back to them on things that are said.

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In Memories are made of this, I have unarranged significant memories. I have done this because it is hard to give a sequential order of what should be displayed first and last. Memories are like this and everyone holds significant memories that are hard to break free from.

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In (DKUF) Untouched and Piled Up, the work is of sneakers that I would invest in. The money for these was given to me by my youngest sibling who runs by the name of (DKUF). The term “Being in the game”, does not have a definition, but it has many meanings. One of these meanings is of someone who is involved in illegal activities, such as drug dealing. Some of these people are affiliated with gangs.

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I have illustrated stores that these sneakers were bought from, such as Foot Locker, Amazon, Nike, Loaded, and Stirling Sports. The shoes are stacked on top of each other alongside different stores from which they were individually bought. The shoes were waiting to be picked up, worn but often collected dust.

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Left to Right:
I Home is where memories live
II Home is where memories live
III Memories are made of this
IV (DKUF) Untouched and Piled Up

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Jenny Pham