​​Nostalgia was first coined as a disease, and even a cause of death in the 17th century to describe the symptoms exhibited by mercenaries serving abroad who yearned for their homeland, or in other words, “homesickness.” 

For most people, a house or home is a manifestation of their identity. As someone who hasn’t had a constant home for more than 2 years at a time, recalling memories has become my coping mechanism for dealing with change. Memories play a central role, evoking nostalgia—a yearning for the familiar comforts associated with home. While presently nostalgia has served as a means to confront change, it presents a dichotomy: it serves both as a place of rest and confusion, being both the malady and the remedy of the past that I am missing. 

In Missing You, I portray the duality of meanings that come with the word “missing.” It both describes the experience of losing, of something that should be there but isn’t, to be absent, to forget, to literally be “missing.” Or it could be the longing for familiarity intertwined with a sense of grief. To miss some thing, some one, some place…some memory. The title: Missing You, describes both the memories that go lost as time passes and as we forget, but also as a memoir for the past that I long to remember. 

I utilize the risograph and screenprinting as my primary mediums. Both require separating colors into different layers to create an image, printing each layer individually to form a cohesive picture. This process reflects the complexity of memory—how it has layers that can distort and shift over time, yet still contribute to the overall picture. Risograph ink is also not archival; it never fully dries and over time it will fade, smudge, and become distorted. My work explores the fragility of memory and the paradox of our desire to preserve the past despite its transformation over time. Memories, like the images I create, are subjective and flawed, shaped by bias and framing. They’re both tangible and intangible, with details fading over time, yet they remind us of who we are and where we come from.

Through my work, I hope to encourage viewers to not only contemplate their own personal journey but to also find solace in acknowledging what has been lost while embracing the fleeting yet profound moments that define our existence.