Cut Paper Art
First Love portrays my deep connection to my culture, as discovering it felt much like falling in love for the first time. My culture is personified as we dance together beneath the moonlight in a field of grass. I was constantly devoted—always searching, always finding new ways to be in awe of it.
Trespasser delves into my struggles with cultural identity, as I often feel like I am appropriating my own Cambodian heritage. Being born in the United States, not speaking the language fluently, and constantly researching aspects of my culture I feel I should already know has placed me in an in-between space. I feel like a stranger in my own home—always second-guessing where I belong. In the piece, I am hunted by figures from Khmer mythology—an angel, a demon, and the Queen Naga—while I hold my dying culture in my arms, as if I am to blame for its loss. This reflects the feeling of being an outcast within my own culture, a foreigner in my own country, and at times, undeserving of my place within it.
Warm Embrace envisions a future where I am fully accepted by my culture for who I am, living in harmony with it. It reflects a healing of past wounds and the growth of a stronger relationship not only with my family and friends, but with my community as a whole. This piece embraces the understanding that I do not need to know everything, and that it is okay I did not grow up with certain traditions. My culture is something I continue to build, shaped by my experiences, just as it is for others.
Dragon Machine is inspired by the Year of the Dragon, which aligns with my own zodiac. Constructed from wood, laser-engraved acrylic, and 3D-printed elements, the piece reinterprets a familiar object through a cultural lens. Inspired by my love for Lunar New Year, one of my favorite holidays, this work translates my excitement and joy for the celebration into something tangible and interactive. By creating a capsule toy machine filled with zodiac animals—including both the twelve traditional figures and the cat from the Vietnamese zodiac—I invite viewers to experience a sense of curiosity, play, and discovery that reflects my own connection to the holiday.
This piece is a paper-cut bust of Hanuman, a prominent figure in Cambodian mythology and performance traditions. Inspired by Cambodian masked theater known as Lakhon Khol, the design draws from its stylized forms and expressive visual language. Through cut paper, I reinterpret these traditional elements, merging cultural reference with my own artistic process.
Water Tigers is a paper-cut piece based on a story my mother shared with me. Every fifty years, demonic water tigers are said to be released from hell, emerging to possess humans and bring destruction—an event known as the Year of the Triple Water Tiger. Through this work, I translate this oral story into a visual form, using cut paper to preserve and reimagine the narratives passed down to me.
This piece focuses on the identity of the New Year angel, depicting her alongside her symbolic animal companion. Together, these elements reflect her role, characteristics, and the traditions associated with her presence during the new year.
This diptych draws from the Cambodian New Year legend of the seven daughters of a god, each associated with a day of the week. Depending on the day the new year falls on, one daughter descends to carry her father’s head, bringing blessings for the year ahead. This piece presents the New Year angel in her full attire, emphasizing her form, ornamentation, and presence. Through intricate detail and composition, the work highlights the visual language and ceremonial significance of these figures within Cambodian culture.
This paper-cut accordion book depicts a tiger participating in the traditional preparations and celebrations of Lunar New Year. As the pages unfold, the tiger moves through different moments of the holiday, reflecting the rituals and joy that surround the celebration. Through this piece, I explore storytelling through cut paper, drawing from cultural traditions and the ways they are passed down and reimagined.
Weeping Demon is inspired by Cambodian masked theater known as Lakhon Khol. It depicts a female demon weeping for what was lost, embodying the grief and pain left behind by the Cambodian genocide. The details are rendered in cut paper.