Saudade is a Portuguese term for a deep melancholic longing or nostalgia for a person, place or time that has gone forever.
American is a portrait of an inveterate exploration into an identity which is defined by an intangible cultural heritage. The Saudade is for the loss of an imagined life.
I was born in the United States and grew up in England and have lived my adult life, equally between two countries. By reconstructing the past using the family album and archives, autobiographical memory, familiar and popular culture, oral and national history, I (re)invent the past using self-portraiture and digitally manipulated photographs to explore perceptions of memory, identity, and multiculturalism.
photography@gingerliu.com
twitter.com/gingerliu
www.gingerliu.com