The Procession, 2020, oil on panel, 16 x 20 in.
A continuation of the Blue and Yellow series.
For this painting, I referenced a photo of my grandfather’s (dad’s dad) funeral procession. The Vietnamese people have always understood that death is inseparable from living and I’ve always been fascinated by the last rites and rituals of this traditional funeral. The procession is the most important step of a funeral; family members, often with the help of neighbors, carry the casket to the cemetery as others walk along or behind. Families would hire entire brass bands to venerate the life of the deceased. When there was a death in the neighborhood, you can hear the horns and drums blaring as early as the break of dawn.