In her poem “Human Family,” Maya Angelou explores the connections between people around the globe, concluding that “we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” Inspired by this idea, I have created a series of works that further explore the theme of interconnectedness among people worldwide.
The idea of a human family begins with what is nearest — the small circle of those we love and live with. From these intimate connections, my work gradually expands outward, reaching toward community, nation, and world. Each piece becomes a meditation on belonging and interdependence — how individual lives, though distinct, are bound together through shared hopes, suffering, and grace.
I work with humble textile techniques rooted in women’s hands and history. Using recycled and reclaimed materials, I piece together fragments that carry traces of past lives. The yo-yo quilt suggests how individuals join to form a larger whole; fabric cording from jiseung embodies fragile threads gaining strength in unity. Through hand-stitching inspired by bojagi and random weaving, I reflect on care, repair, and the unpredictable beauty of human connection — irregular yet whole, fragile yet enduring.
Each work is both personal and collective — a visual prayer for reconciliation, reminding us that creation and redemption often begin in what is overlooked or broken. Ultimately, Human Family speaks of our shared humanity, continually being stitched together by compassion and grace.
