“Silence is Golden” is a common proverb that people understand implicitly. It is used to say that it is often better to remain silent than to speak.

This series examines the complex role of silence—what we are taught as children (children are to be seen and not heard) as well as its capacity to harm. In particular, I focus on the silences imposed on women, born of misogyny and culture that demands compliance and complicity. These silences instruct us to police our tone, dilute our rage, and suppress our truths. Society insists that we shrink ourselves to fit the comfort of others, forcing us to carry the weight of unspoken pain and unseen injustices.

This portrait of a young girl has gold foil covering her mouth to stop her youthful defiance while she holds the traditional fan and wears a traditional costume. The edge is Japanese newspaper painted with gold.