Obscuring the Gaze (An Inheritance)

“I’ve thought about my family a lot during my time as a student at the Carver College of Medicine. As a daughter of immigrants who is far from home, drawing comparisons between my journey and those of my parents brought me comfort during my first couple of years in Iowa. It’s also reminded me of how much I don’t know – the family histories that are lost to me because of various borders across space and time and language, and those that will be lost as the bearers of these stories pass away.

Here, I’ve placed gemstones on the faces of my parents and other relatives to represent the barriers that stand between me and those who came before me. The obscuring of the gazes also reflects the fact that I have never been to my parents’ homeland, and thus have not met, let alone spoken to, many of my relatives.”

— Tina Arkee

Image by Tina Arkee

About the Creator:

Tina Arkee is an MSTP student originally from Orange County, CA. When she’s not working in the lab, she can be found reading or taking pictures. She posts her attempts at art (and cat pictures!) on Instagram as @ahlehavaa.

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