In her new collection, "Piecing It Together," currently on display at the Butte College Art Gallery, Elizabeth Lee addresses the effects of generational trauma. In particular, Lee explores the personal trauma passed down from her parents, who fled the Vietnam War.
Lee is a Hmong American artist based out of Chico. She received her BFA in drawing and painting from CSU, Chico, where she learned about her love for the depiction of objects. As a first-generation Hmong American, Lee's identity is integral to her work as she explores the beauty and challenges of two cultures merging. She often works with gouache on paper and occasionally incorporates textiles, printmaking, installation, and performance into her work. The use of objects as symbols in her work help construct a narrative about her identity.
For the last three years, Lee has been searching internally to learn how her upbringing has affected the person she has become. Each piece is arranged as a triptych to help her compartmentalize and process parts of her trauma. Lee is interested in the self-awareness and work it takes to break cycles of trauma; this is the driving force behind this series.
Piecing It Together is on display at the Butte College Art Gallery until November 3. An artist's reception will be hosted on Thursday, October 27, from 2 to 4 p.m. The gallery, located on butte college's main campus, is open to the public Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
###
Butte College
3536 Butte Campus Drive
Oroville, CA 95965
Content editor:
Christian Gutierrez
530-895-2959
