The Viet Nam War is inextricably a part of my past and present consciousness.It provides me with an inescapable point of view to its disquieting repercussion in America. The themes I explore in my work are informed by societal and personal concerns, focusing on the effect of war at an individual level. These themes include the rebuilding of community, issues of membership, traumatic memory and the underlying experience of loss. They create an exploration of the fragility of comfort and belonging

The idea of "the refugee space" is a concept I constructed to explore the displacement experienced by Viet Namese living in the U.S. It speaks of geographic locations and psychological states of mind. Sanctuary is sought from difficulties such as: political, economical, social, familial and/or those that require the individual to yearn for a site of solace. This quest for shelter/safety results in a perception of falseness; every place is a substitution for the original. A fragile existence arises out of this dilemma. It is burdened by memories of the past and endlessly driven in the search for a new space to call "home." "The refugee space" is one that sits between hope, disappointment and loss. This in-between-existence is where the mind of the refugee finds itself.

Past events are rethought and relived through the repetitive process of creating contemplative installation spaces. In these works, the viewer's knowledge of the war is necessary to gain depth and to provide context but do not insure complete interpretation of the work. These projects speak of a controversial and lingering war, altering it, relocating it into a personal arena. The private space is where the Viet Nam War continues and remains a thing that is unresolved by conceptual or emotional approaches.

My work vacillates in a space that simultaneously defeats and nurtures. It involves a constant pursuance for impressions of "home". Yet it questions the possibility and existence of comfort and security. In my work, I struggle for an understanding of the legacy that the Viet Nam War has on the individual.