chrystal phan

The Lucky Ones is a series of four oil paintings and installation that were inspired by a Vietnamese Canadian funeral service. The compositions are intended to represent how families deal with the complex emotions of experiencing both extreme adversity and privilege as survivors of the 'boat people' refugee crisis after the Vietnam war who were given a second chance at life in Canada.  This often expresses itself as a tension between the desire to be honest about the adversity experienced and a cultural expectation to remain silent.



Continuing the theme of her previous works, this project aims to express the messiness around second-generation Canadian identity. She plays with the expectation of cultural literacy by misinterpreting or reimagining Vietnamese cultural traditions.