Artist Statement:  My work addresses the generational and cultural inheritance of resiliency within Hmong women and Hmong mothers and showcases their perseverance under the misogyny ingrained within Hmong culture. It is common for Hmong women to have burdensome familial responsibilities thrust onto them as young daughters. Historically in the Hmong patriarchy, young women, daughters, and wives are expected to be quiet obedient caretakers of their families, including performing the majority of labor when caring for children. This image depicts this burdensome responsibility forced onto Hmong women. The ambiguity of the mother and baby implies that this is no unique situation, as there are tens of thousands of Hmong women bearing the same burdens, and calls to mind the saying: “monkey on my back,” a phrase describing a burden or situation difficult to overcome. 

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Artist Bio:   Self-taught photographer and freelance videographer. My perspective of my life, childhood, day-to-day, and vision shape my work. Never exhibited my work before.