Lydia See is a multidisciplinary practitioner, educator, and curator of art passionate about using art for social justice and civic engagement. Her work “I don’t know what to do with my hands” (2019-2020) is a collection of photographs that explore family dynamics and the intimacy of memory. She uses white gouache to paint over the people in the photographs, reducing them to white silhouettes and leaving only their hands visible. The hands speak volumes on their own, and the faceless figures allow for self-insertion and anonymity. See describes that painting over these images “whiting out to erase them” is also an act of reflection on the construct of whiteness itself. She explains that choosing to paint with white gouache allows her to examine her own internalized misogyny and power afforded by white supremacy.
I don’t know what to do with my hands, 2019-2020
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