The Conversation
Cotton and rayon embroidery floss on red satin fabric.
13″ x 15.5″
2020
Before my maternal grandmother passed away, she told me when they were young, my grandfather used to embroider on handkerchiefs and pillowcases for her as presents. I used this family story to create a piece about my maternal grandparents’ life, honesty, and love. In this hand-embroidered piece, the peacocks symbolize dignity and beauty and the peach blossom and red satin represent the Vietnamese New Year. The embroidery’s style and the color scheme were inspired by old Vietnamese New Year greeting cards that people used to exchange when I was little. In my memory, my grandparents had always been together and grew old together each year. But when my grandmother passed away this year, my grandfather won’t be able to spend this New Year with her. In this embroidery, the second peacock is missing a tail to represent how my grandparents’ love and memories are still alive even while my grandmother is not physically present.
