Cassy Oliphant
Much of my work begins with stories, some from Chinese and European folklore, others from my own family. I’m interested in how these tales overlap, shift, and even contradict one another, and how they change again when seen through the lens of my bi-racial identity.
Stories often arrive at us in fragments. Some are carefully passed down, others are half-remembered, and some are hidden or lost. In my family, memories feel fragile - a combination of spaces in terms of geography, memory and time. Making artwork has become my way of holding onto what might otherwise fade, despite all of its instability.
The materials I use carry this sense of care and repair. In Peranakan embroidery, for example, fabric is both stitched and cut away, creating something delicate but strong. For me, this mirrors how memory works: reinforcing parts, revealing gaps, sometimes leaving scaffolds behind. With cyanotype, images appear only partially, sometimes fading, much like memory itself. Painting brings a different energy - more fluid, intuitive and playful, echoing the shifting, symbolic nature of folktales.
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