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Han Cao
"A Self-Portrait Outside" Portrait, Figurative, Embroidery on Vintage Photograph

2023

About the Item

This piece titled "A Self-Portrait Outside" is an original piece by Han Cao and is made from embroidery on a vintage photograph. This piece measures 9" x 11" framed and is shipped in the pictured white frame. Han Cao is a self-taught artist currently living in Dallas, Texas. She uses embroidery to create new narratives for long-forgotten photographs and postcards found at flea markets and antique shops from around the world. All embroidery on the artwork is done by hand, directly onto the original found image. Her art combines fibers of embroidery thread with the paper fibers of each photograph to connect with the fibers of our own being – as the added dimension of each work challenges our self-identity and personal connection with unfamiliar people and places. For Silhouettes, Cao explores duality when altering the forms of subjects in her new series of double portraits. While the original photograph evokes an intimate connection with the viewer, the larger counterpart is a vast landscape where Cao invites the viewer to immerse themselves into the expanded bounty of blossom motifs, greenery, and seafoam. Cao’s purposeful demonstration of scale allows the viewer to compare the intensity of depth and movement between the pieces as the level of stitching increases with scale. To further echo movement in the work, Cao utilizes nature as a portal into a daydream, as historically literature and art have used the aspects of the natural world as a door to evoke a state of reverie. In Surge, her detailed embroidery coupled with collage completely transforms the figure into an ethereal being, his mind as turbulent as the sea he portrays. Cao says, “I am always trying to change the story of the photo, but this method allows me to transport the figure into a different world.” Instead of using photographs as tokens of recollection, Cao chooses to use them as vessels for fantastical exploration.
  • Creator:
    Han Cao (American)
  • Creation Year:
    2023
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 9 in (22.86 cm)Width: 11 in (27.94 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU188213074392

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