Rememinisce; Remember and Reminisce

My thesis body of work delves into the complex, layered experience of immigration, a beautiful and haunting journey. Each cherished memory from my homeland carries a weight that shapes who I am, but feels increasingly distant and unreal. I wrestle with conflicting emotions: does this growing distance offer freedom, or is it an agonizing loss of my identity? Through my art, I aim to capture the delicate tension between the pull of my roots and the uncertain space of transformation, questioning what is preserved, what fades, and how each experience is remembered. 

This search for a “home” within the flux is a meditation on the beauty and ache of longing for a place I may never fully reclaim. Working on this show allowed me to revisit these memories from a newfound perspective, realizing that not all may have been lost, and who I am right now may just have been who I am meant to be.

Upon entering the gallery, the works hang like photographs on a memory wall. Reappearing in different inks, papers, and printing methods, they reflect how memory is never static. Each reflection leads me somewhere new. Memories that once brought me to tears remind me how loved and precious I was to my family members. Now miles apart, when we reunite, I hope they’ll still love me the same.

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Installation:

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All That Shines, 2024

Oil on canvas, 36 in x 36 in

This piece delves into my complex emotions and experiences as an immigrant. The spider web motif, inspired by Louise Bourgeois’s Spider Mother sculptures, symbolizes my mother, whom I often associate with a spider—incredibly intelligent and driven. In Chinese, her name includes a character that can mean “spider” or “pearl,” reflecting her dual qualities of resilience and elegance. When we immigrated, she balanced two jobs while pursuing a bachelor’s degree, instilling a strong work ethic in me, and teaching me the value of dedication and persistence in building success and achieving financial stability. The weathered web, adorned with pearls at the center, extends outward into jewels and can also be interpreted as a dreamcatcher—a metaphor for my efforts to mend her threads and carry her dreams forward. My life feels entwined with hers; my achievements are her achievements.

Lullabies of the Deep Brine, 2024

Oil on canvas, 20 in x 36 in

This underwater painting reflects the profound loneliness of immigration—the experience of leaving behind everything familiar for an unknown future. While the journey holds excitement, it is also marked by deep sadness. Through this work, I explore the complexity of my emotions growing up in a foreign land, where feelings of anger, resentment, hope, excitement, and curiosity intertwine. It has taken a long time to come to terms with the move: leaving behind everything we once knew for the possibility of a better future. In pursuit of this, I lost my extended family, childhood friends, and the only home I had ever known. Despite these feelings, I am deeply grateful for my parents’ sacrifices, though I often feel like I belong nowhere. This piece attempts to capture the weight and complexity of displacement, both beautiful and haunting.

Mother Knows Best, 2024

Oil on canvas, 18 in x 24 in

In a dream-like state, my mother is back in her wedding dress and veil, surrounded by rabbits, her zodiac animal. The rabbits stare intensely at the viewer while my mother avoids their gaze. Despite never stating her expectations for me, I always feel the pressure. To do well and succeed, I can’t bear to disappoint her.

Dance of Daylight

Oil on Canvas, 24 in x 36 in

This piece, Dance of Daylight, captures a moment of pure joy, wonder, and gratitude—a celebration of life and its fleeting beauty. Inspired by memories of gazing across a sunlit lake, I was mesmerized by the glimmers of light that danced on the water’s surface, each flickers a reminder of cherished moments from the past. In that dazzling glow, I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness and appreciation, a connection to the simple yet profound beauty all around us. This painting invites viewers to pause, reflect, and embrace the warmth of nostalgia, finding comfort and peace in life’s bright, sunlit moments.

Papa eating with Mama, 2025

Linocut on colored paper, 8 in x 13 in

From the photograph of their date on 05/20/2002. Mom took a picture of Dad mid-bite. I wonder where they were, when, how they met, and what brought them to this moment. Why did they choose each other? I often reflect on the story behind this simple moment, searching for the quiet details that made their bond so special.

Chirashi With Labubu, 2025

Linocut, 8 in x 10 in

Before I was born, my parents spent five years living in Japan. I’ve always felt a tinge of envy for the memories they made there, experiences they shared without me. This bowl is inspired by the old photographs of the meals they once enjoyed, a tribute to the stories they carry. Through it, I hope to step into their past, to share in their memories, and to know them not just as my parents but as the people they were before me.

In The Deep Blue, 2025

Ceramics, 18 in x 9 in

Encapsulated within a deep blue shell, the memory of home remains frozen in time—a lone red house adrift at sea, with no lighthouse, boats, or companions to keep her company.

Keeper of Sweet Dreams, 2025

Ceramics, 8 in x 10 in

A little Siamese cat, shaped like a dream jar, waiting to be filled with the sweetest moments of life and memory. What treasures lie within—whispers of laughter, sunlit afternoons, or the warmth of a familiar embrace?

Crown of Love, 2025

Ceramics, 16 in x 15 in 

A little girl’s princess crown, adorned with jewels and treasures that hold the dearest pieces of her heart.

Tang-tang hulu, 2025

Linocut printed in colors, 5 in x 13 in

In the small town where I grew up, tanghulu carts lined every street and filled every corner. This beloved Chinese street food—skewered fruit coated in a crisp candy shell—traces its origins back to the Song Dynasty when hawthorn berries dipped in sugar were said to have cured an emperor’s concubine. As a child, I indulged in tanghulu almost daily and it remains the dessert I miss most from home. With the recent rise of Tanghulu’s popularity on social media I am fortunate to find them here—but at a steep price, a hefty sum for a taste of nostalgia.

Treasure Trove, 2024

Etching on Plexiglass, 18 in x 24 in 

This trove is full of my lucky charms and dreams, fueled by homesickness and longing for a place I can’t return to.  Much like the deep sea, vivid and mystical, yet forever out of reach. Is it love to wish on it every chance I get? To hold onto the hope of returning home, even if only in dreams.

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The full list of works and their descriptions can be accessed at this link:

Rebekah Zhao Senior Honors 1-15

Rebekah Zhao Senior Honors Page 16-30