Buông Xả Đi

Buông Xả Đi, 2016. Flora pressings from Bà Ngoại’s (Grandmother) garden, ink and watercolor on paper, 8 x 10”, 9 x 12”

These pieces are part of a growing collection of works which I call the Buông Xả Đi series. This Vietnamese phrase Buông Xả Đi describes an exhalation of all emotion or thought which hinders the spirit from growth, the act of letting go. Each piece is an end product of my process of letting go. I liken this practice of open, organic drawing to how a writer practices free writing. In free writing, the writer writes continuously without regard to spelling, grammar, or topic in order to produce raw material which helps overcome tension while continuing movement. In similar fashion, these drawings are made to loosen my hands, mind, and spirit. Each piece is drawn intuitively, one mark informing the next.

This practice is held more closely as a meditation with a byproduct being end result. While working, I began thinking about how much these drawings reflect life and her meandering movement; there is so much change, responsibility, and stirring all around us at any given moment, that sometimes we forget to marvel at all the beauty that surrounds us. Even within a storm of events, we can be still and bear witness to the colorful, rich, life that we've been granted. 

*During the winter of 2006, I sat with my godmother, Bác Hà, while she practiced her Vietnamese calligraphy. With rice paper amassing upon the table, she patiently dipped her bamboo brush, one breath at a time, into the tray of rich black ink. Buông Xả Đi. Buông Xả Đi. Buông Xả Đi. This phrase, written repeatedly, blanketed the lace of Grandmother's table cloth as I watched quietly. “It means just let go”, she said.