Introduction:

Millian Pham Lien Giang is an artist and educator based in Alabama. Her work centers on oppressive structures on the physical and metaphorical body using text, images, objects, and installations. For the June SHE showcase, Pham will share her studio practice from the beginning to completion stages in creating a series of artworks. The series specific for the month of June will focus on mixed media text-based sketches on issues of the current moment. For context, more of her works can be viewed on her website: altimablossom.net

Week 1:

This month started on a somber yet serious note on both personal and social levels. I had plans to create a series of work called Love Letters to Self, in which I would construct my text pieces with words of encouragement to my younger self, who had to endure countless abuse by the hands of my narcissistic mother. I also wanted for these works to serve as encouragement for those who still suffer from their narcissistic parent/s.

But as the month started out, one of my close family members suddenly became the target of this narcissistic abuse by their extended relative (unrelated to me), and I found myself coaching this dear person to navigate through all the clever manipulations thrown at them. But perhaps the biggest thing weighing on my mind lately has been the very unclever manipulation of our current president, who’s narcissistic personality disorder had resulted in violent and deadly force on peaceful protestors and has been wreaking havoc on the US society as a whole. These events made me realize that I need to take a step back and refocus on some of the issues. There are questions that still have not been asked.

For this month of June, I’m brainstorming and asking these questions. I’m sketching out ideas on paper (that will eventually turn into fiber compositions in the near future). The works for this first couple of weeks will appear a bit preliminary with tidbits of thoughts, sketches, and brainstorming. I hope to finish at least five developed sketches by month’s end.

Square Not: Durian Flower and Dragon Fruits, mixed media collage, 15 x 11 in. A recent composition I've completed for a broadside collaboration (release coming soon), which has the same aesthetic choices that I will employ for these newer sketches. — *Square Not: Durian Flower and Dragon Fruits*, mixed media collage, 15 x 11 in. A recent composition I've completed for a broadside collaboration (release coming soon), which has the same aesthetic choices that I will employ for these newer sketches.

A page from my sketchbook. These are texts I'm refining to include in a separate and larger sketch.

Starting out each sketch with hand gridding on watercolor paper with graphite. More in-process shots will be available in the coming weeks.