Hmong artist shows work based on trauma collection

OROVILLE >> Artist Elizabeth Lee says her experiences as a Hmong American individual has truly shaped her identity.

Lee has a collection in the Butte College Art Gallery called “Piecing It Together.” In her new collection, Lee addresses the effects of generational trauma. She explores the personal trauma passed down from her parents, who fled the Vietnam War.

Lee said people live in a certain culture at home and then experience a different culture when they step outside. She said when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, people had to stay home and became more introspective. The idea for the collection had been brewing in her mind during the pandemic and it came to fruition during that time. She spent the last six months putting everything down on paper. She said her parents are a constant source of inspiration. She learned about their upbringing and she draws inspiration from them and they are represented in the collection.

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, or group of three, to help her compartmentalize and process her trauma. Lee is interested in the self-awareness and work it takes to break cycles of trauma; this is the driving force behind the collection.

Part of the collection shows a drawing of two books and the books are physically displayed next to two chairs in the gallery. One of the books is called “How to Do the Work” by Nicole LePera.

“That book is about the work it takes for a person to come to self-awareness who have had traumas in their lives and how it is affecting their lives and how to heal from it and move on,” Lee said. “The other book is called ‘The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma’ by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk and it is about how our bodies remember things our minds do not and how we experience trauma and may have forgotten it.”

Lee said her personal trauma affects her work.

“I definitely wanted to share that with others,” she said. “There’s a lot of power in healing and sharing with others. One features a birdcage, a hen and the last piece is a neck chapel which the Hmong people use as jewelry. This jewelry has roots in slavery. The Hmong were enslaved by the Chinese. That piece centers on my trauma of feeling controlled in my culture. It’s a very patriarchal culture. You have to listen to the men and men come first. But I was raised in the American society where women were taught to be independent and strong and the Hmong were taught to be docile and domestic.”

Lee said she hopes her work encourages people to look within.

“I would like people to view this exhibit as an opportunity to look within themselves and go through the process of becoming more self-aware and learn how to heal from trauma,” Lee said. “The world is constantly hurting. In order to heal as a society, we need to look internally and heal these parts of ourselves. When people project pain onto others we bring peace and love look internally and resolve traumas within themselves.”

Lee’s favorite piece is called “Father” which is about her dad.

“I think when people look at my work they won’t get it right away. They have to look at the details and dig deeper. There are hidden messages in there. I also like the last piece called ‘Healing’ with two poppies and a hen in the middle. It’s more optimistic and shows what it means to look backward and also look toward the future,” Lee said.

“Piecing It Together” is on display at the Butte College Art Gallery in the Arts building until Nov. 3. An artist’s reception will be hosted on Thursday, Oct. 27, from 2 to 4 p.m. with refreshments provided and Lee’s prints will be sold. 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.