Silk

Artist statement We are slowly moving towards a future where perfection becomes the norm. There are great expectations placed upon youth to excel in all they are and undertake. Appearance is everything. This notion is visually supported by all that influences their young lives. There is no room for imperfection in the new world. Especially in Asia, women and girls with imperfections remain hidden and silent, their concerns unknown and their rights overlooked. This is far more likely to happen in the case of a girl-child, as boys are valued more than girls in Asian culture. The girl-child is likely to face discrimination within the family, and have little hope of marriage. Forced into a life where she is isolated and marginalized. Silk – a royal Chinese fabric amongst the most valuable in the world – challenges the idea that girls with an imperfection are inferior, but in fact unique and beautiful. Silk shows the metamorphosis of an imperfect Chinese orphan that will hide no more and rises to be seen for the beauty that she is. Each photo represents a different stage of the acceptance process that she is in fact an imperfect being in a world that wants to be perfect.