Traces, 2011
Series of 8 inkjet prints from 4x5 negative onto transparent paper
21 x 29.7 cm each Using large format black and white film Mullens re-photographs scrunched re-prints of isolated faces taken from old photographs of her mother's family. Traces discusses the distance between her family's journey across the seas to Australia and Mullens' own connection/disconnection to her Vietnamese heritage. The distorted faces are a reflection of how Mullens struggled to recognise the stories of her family and their collective and individual efforts that resulted in her existence. Using tracing paper in place of photographic paper Mullens makes transparent the murkiness that stemmed from a lack of dialogue between her family and herself about their history. By mangling the photographs and obscuring the faces of her mother's family she addresses the disconnect that she feels towards her cultural narrative.
This work was the beginning of a deeper investigation of Andy's Vietnamese identity, which was further explored in her 2014 works Bloodline, Face to Face, Tombs for the Reborn and Coming Home. |
Installation view