1989 (2025)

“1989" is inspired by two photographs taken in the same year. One of those photographs is the revolutionary “Tank Man” taken on June 5, 1989, the day after the Chinese government's crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests. The other photograph is of a familial relative holding two plastic grocery bags and standing at the intersection of Canal St and Centre St in New York Manhattan’s Chinatown. This photograph lives in a family photo album. The uncanny similarity in stance across both subjects and the juxtaposition of two worlds in the background bridges Beijing’s revolution with New York City’s rich history of protests and civil unrest. The perspective of the viewer is from the “shot” of both the tank (in the former photograph) and camera (in the latter photograph).

Limited edition of 12 prints, 18x24”, 4-layer reduction print, carved on plywood board