Garden State Reveries
Artist's Statement

In “Garden State Reveries,” the seductive promises made by consumerism are collaged with hand-drawn tracings of my childhood photographs with rural landscapes littered by barns, IKEA rococo, kitschy food advertisements, and “field day” clip-art. The series conjures an immigrant child’s fantasy of America, where horses jump over barns, where cakes fly in the air, and where children swing from the sky. Without any obvious Indian signifiers, these collages articulate a particular perspective that comes from an immigrant’s ability to see things from the outside looking inward, and from a child’s romanticism of adulthood, especially when imagining becoming a grown-up — becoming an autonomous shopper.

I was also interested in exploring the loneliness and isolation of childhood and immigration through the bustle of activities, which the girl is not included in or connected to. Consumption remains a gateway to assimilation, as did accentless English, name Anglicization, church attendance, and in my case, voting for Reagan in a mock election in 4th grade.