Things I Wanted To Say But Never Did

The work Things I Wanted To Say But Never Did explores the materiality and the production process of ‘mother of pearl’ to deliver an intimate metaphor on the absence of a maternal figure in the eyes of my child’s life, in turn ruminating on the greatness of a maternal love.

Pearls are formed when irritants or some ocean debris get lodged within the oyster. It is a solidification process of what oyster secretes thousands of very thin layers of nacre to cover these irritants against damage to their fragile body over years and years.

There’s a beauty in the formation of the pearl that it carries love, care and the spirit of perseverance which triggered me to create this work. By transforming the ‘mother of pearl’ into the shapes of band-aids, it acts as a healing process for myself, to reflect the space of pain and insecurity in my childhood. Nevertheless, it’s also a symbol of unchanging love as a sacrifice to protect the one loves.

The things that I wanted to say but never did, the things that I never had a chance to say: thank you my dear grandma.