Mother, a Beautiful Young Lady (detail)

Hai-Chi Jihn creates sculpture that addresses her heritage, issues of femininity, and women’s perceived social roles. Mother, A Beautiful Lady is a lace-like fan sculpted from silver and inscribed with text. This piece is connected to the idea of dowry and investigates the complexities of marriage as a social institution. Jihn describes the inscribed text as a “bride’s promise to her parents before she sets off to the wedding.”