“Mais en vrai tu viens d’où ?” / “But really, where are you from?”

The outside gaze
looking at him from within.

In this sculpture, Mark Daovannary highlights the contradiction between an individual's appearance and the complexity of his identity. By leaving Laos for France, his parents made the choice of integration. They took local names, partly absorbed their Asian history and culture. They also did not teach their children their native languages. Born in the suburbs, Mark grew up between assimilation and cultural diversity. He started his schooling in La Courneuve and ended up at the Arts Decoratifs de Paris. "But really, where are you from?" He has heard this phrase many times. It embodies the desire to categorize others and sends the artist back to what he is: a sum of cultures.

(H x L x W): 15 cm x 30 cm x 10 cm
Plaster print, wire, unique work
2016

© Mark Daovannary 2022