When you make art, those things change shape into something else. It's transformation into a body of different visual elements.

There are multiple things entering in your mind.

I think that through the narratives of other people you get closer to your own.

I think there are things I can't write in English that I wish I could write in Khmer.

I think that there are certain feelings and things you can convey in a simple form that people can see and understand.

I'm also developing my own narrative, because I'm the son of a widow. And so, while working with women and gathering their oral histories, I'm taking a step back to do my own art book and visual work.

When I was in the sixth grade my friend and I always won writing contests, and we read a lot of books. We were always the ones that read the most books in class. I thought about writing but visual arts weren't part of my vocabulary.