As an ethnic minority growing up in Jakarta, Indonesia, I discovered early on that art-making was a way to escape and create my own reality. My sister and I experienced blind hatred and harassment daily from other kids just because of our Chinese heritage.

Reflecting back, I learned that love and hate exist side by side in the world, and it was up to me to choose how I would feel and act. I chose love. Love of painting, love of food, and love of humankind.

After completing a degree in art and design, my career as a software designer took off leaving little time for painting. Then, I received an unexpected message from a childhood friend who had been diagnosed with cancer. She inspired me to lean harder into doing what I love most. Delving more into the practice of art became a way to seek meaning, to connect, to express hope…to pray.

The ingredients in food (much like the ingredients in life) inform our sensory and emotional experiences. The wonderful thing about painting is that I get to combine ingredients that, at first glance, may seem to clash but end up surprising the viewer and myself. You can do whatever you want in a painting. I love the freedom in that.