About

Short Bio

Lana came to the United States as a refugee at age 12. She picked up a camera and could not put ot down. Lana received her BFA in photography and printmaking from San Francisco Art Institute in 2006 and continued her studies and earned an MFA from SMFA/Tufts in 2009.

Statement

As a little girl helping her father develop film and print in the darkroom, I learned pictures tell stories. A picture is worth a thousand words. I take pictures and create images to let my ideas float out, as it is sometimes difficult to express my thoughts and ideas through words. Images convey my feelings, ideas and desires. In my work I explore the ideas of home from within and without. I investigate what is foreign and what is familiar, and how both are included in my identity. I look at the cultural constructs, societal norms and their intersections. With humor and an attention to light in the landscape, I examine language, giving concrete form to idiomatic phrases through a series of motion picture vignettes. I run around in circles, beat around the bush and jump to conclusions. I push the boundaries of the medium by emphasizing aspects that are not readily seen with a human eye. I illustrate idiomatic expressions found in my native language, language of my adopted country and language of my cultural background. I intertwine and layer the meanings, some similar, some opposite to create a narrative that reflect on nature, spectacle and contemporary culture.