SVA, revisited.

I first moved to New York in August of 2003. I came to pursue my MFA in Photography, Video & Related Media at SVA. I had been living in Chiangmai, Thailand for 1.5 years prior, working successfully as a photography studio owner. At the end of the two-year program, I decided to stay in the 'big city' and pursue a career in the freelance world of photography and video.

Last night, SVA's Visual Arts Gallery hosted their annual MFA Thesis exhibition for my old department. I decided to attend. I hadn't been to the show last year so was excited to run into classmates I haven't seen for a while, and re immerse myself in all-things-photo.

I was eagerly greeted by the head of the department, Charles Traub. He gave me a hug and told me that he mentioned my thesis project to other students in the recent past. I felt honored that he remember a project that he hasn't seen for three years with such fondness.


For my thesis, I created a book in collaboration with Yolanda Cuomo called FAMILY ALBUM. It is a hand bound, self printed book featuring approximately 100 portraits of individuals from my family, extended family and social groups. I have a complicated background (Thai/Italian parents, grew up in Hong Kong and attended a French School), so as a result my family is quite spread out ethnically, economically and socially. Many of them don't even know about each other. The photographs were paired with text: writings of random tidbits of information from the day of each of the shoots. Melissa Harris of Aperture may not have deemed it of marketable value to be published, but it's my work and what I love to shoot.