In the Inheritance series—an ongoing, evolving body of work—I explore the layered, often fragmented nature of memory and cultural lineage, while questioning what—and who—is deemed important in history. The project serves as an alternative, living archive, blending my own personal photographs with found, unknown artworks and references to artists from Taiwan who have shaped my creative consciousness. By embedding these diverse visual histories into the tactile, layered medium of encaustic monotypes and ink wash, I challenge the boundaries of formal historical narratives. Elevating anonymous fragments alongside personal and cultural markers, this continuous synthesis of intimacy and collective memory asks what we choose to carry forward, transforming inherited remnants into a new, unified landscape of belonging.
All content © Charlene Shih