For The Time Beings, Jan 2026, OPEN, Providence, RI [Photograph by Therese Iacono]

“A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be.”
— Ruth Ozeki, A Tale for the Time Beings

For the Time Beings (2025) is a participatory altar installation offering opportunities for private contemplation and collective manifestation. In this body of work, Hmong—an Indigenous ethnic group from East and Southeast Asia—and Korean shamanic altar practices collide as I pay homage to the survival and resistance strategies of my family and related communities.

I channel cycles of grief, reverence, and hope through distressed portraits of chosen ancestors. The drawings form the backdrop of a communal seating area; audio recorded during my making process softly permeates the space. Participants are invited to sit upon hand-treated floor cushions and write anonymous manifestations for a shared future. In accordance with the lunar cycle, participants are invited to read and burn the collected petitions. Ashes then return to the installation; the cycle of manifestations begins anew.

For the Time Beings (2025)
10’ w x 10’ d x 10’ h

Fire, manifestation ashes, Korean ramie thread (한산모시 hansan mosi), embroidery floss, pastel, and charcoal on Korean mulberry paper (한지 hanji); black shag rug; found bamboo/rattan coffee table; replica French Indochina coins and cotton jersey fabric on found pillows; foraged Virginia creeper; faux 5 mm pearls; vintage Hmong batik fabric; foraged protection branch (ntxoo); fresh flowers; found objects; speakers (sound; 18:51 min.); and other materials.

Originally produced for my Rhode Island School of Design MFA thesis.

You may read more about the time beings and research that informed this work in my master’s thesis:

Read the MFA thesis