by Kel !
Who

I 
Am






As an artist rooted in Rakhine, Burma, now based in Kansas City, I draw on my journey as an immigrant to shape my narrative. My creative practice revolves around sketching the ordinary, weaving personal recollections into a broader commentary on identity and cultural memory.  I am reinterpreting childhood memories and historical Burmese artifacts through contemporary ceramics to illuminate and provoke conversations about Burma's current political and social landscapes.

me and my cousin 

   Why 
  I     
  Make
  Art


During my childhood, I spent my days running around barefoot with my cousins on the muddy dirt roads of my small village called Panmyaung, in Arakan, Myanmar. We climbed mango trees and stole fruit from my neighbor's yard, herded cows across rice paddy fields, and ate watermelon from our grandmother's garden. My art is founded on autobiographical narratives from childhood memories, the lifestyle, and artifacts from my cultural background. I bring the stories to life as figurative sculptures set in everyday scenarios or as vivid illustrations on vessels. 
mom in 03’
 
        Inspired by my childhood memories and family dynamics, I portray the daily lives of Burmese people in their mundane activities using figurative sculptures. It is a way to give representation for the Burmese people and for them to experience seeing a form of themselves in a contemporary art context. Through this exploration, I was able to illuminate how the people in my community are constricted to their social gender roles and are limited by their potential as beings because of the environment and the political status of the country. Through the re-contextualization of the Burmese traditional artifacts, I can bring awareness to the political issues that are hindering the lifestyle of people in Burma to other communities. 

                       
my grandparents

        When contemplating the re-contextualization of these objects, the material of ceramics plays a significant part in the process. Growing up in a harsh environment with no power or running water, we grew and raised all of our food. I played with mud in the rain and made clay balls to shoot at sparrows with my slingshot. Working with ceramics, with its childlike malleability and elasticity, has reconnected me to my childhood. Working with clay has been a process of liberation and healing. While recognizing the historical significance of the objects, I am investigating how they can be preserved using ceramics. One of the reasons I chose to work with ceramics is because of its rigidity and permanence as a three-dimensional.