The Emperor's Offspring

          (upcoming)

The Emperor’s Offspring is a ten-piece installation in which I invite viewers to examine how power has been exercised throughout human history and to consider the choices we, as viewers and citizens, must make in dealing with it.

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As metaphors, I call Power “the Emperor” and its offspring Transparency, Duplicity, Reflectivity, Liberty, and so on. These opposing properties are presented in this work to the viewer, the “consumers of power,” by the power holder, the “producer of power,” as clear, immutable, binary choices. In reality, however, these properties may be camouflaged or disguised, thereby confounding our responses.

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As a visual symbol of Power, I employ the image of the ancient Vietnamese bronze drum. Excavated in great numbers in northern Vietnam and dating from the second century BC, these drums bear carvings depicting feather-adorned figures riding boats, hunting, and cultivating rice—figures believed to represent early Vietnamese people. As Vietnamese society evolved from a matriarchal community into a highly hierarchical patriarchal one, the drum’s function shifted from serving as an instrument for summoning communal gatherings or honoring ancestors to one of enforcing discipline and exhorting people to war.

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By manipulating the materials, shapes, textures, and images embedded in the drums, as well as the surrounding space, sound, and lighting, I express the various properties of Power.

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The intended outcome of this work is to prompt reflection on inheritance and individual complicity: how each of us absorbs, reproduces, or disrupts the systems of power woven around us. The work challenges viewers to confront their own positions within these dynamic fields, not as distant observers or victimized inheritors, but as active participants. Ultimately, it resists simple resolutions, instead opening up a space in which to consider ethical action that cannot be evaded, even under ambiguous conditions.

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At a time when democracy is being virulently tested, this work seeks to encourage younger generations not to give up the fight for human rights, to take responsibility for building a better world, and to choose their leaders wisely—leaders who will not betray their dreams once in power.