Kanthy Peng

Portrait Tutorial
Single-channel video 13’00”

Portrait Tutorial features an unsuccessful “coming out” experience of myself. I encode my homosexual relationship within a series of photography portrait tutorials made with the intention of coaching my parents back in China, and test the boundaries of subtlety within these videos. Along with photography work, a book and a recorded Skype session, I display the bare bones of my physical separation and psychological alienation from my family. The conversations between daughter and parents shift cautiously from concealment to revelation, and from denial to possible acceptance. The project aims to highlight the discomfort of communication and mutual understanding that occurs between generations.