Made with Faber Castell markers on bristol
I wanted to recreate the famous photo, "Candy Cigarette", by Sally Mann, a photographer who often photographed her children and their daily life in interesting and complex ways. Despite making four different versions that explore the possible meanings of the photograph, I liked this version the best. It has a personal significance to me in that it reminds me of my deceased grandpa who passed away when I was 9 years old. Even though I did not intend for it, the man looks like my grandpa.
In "Candy Cigarette", the young girl is balancing a candy cigarette on her hand, but without knowing context, Mann's photograph could represent the innocence of a child versus the desire to mature and be exposed to the evils of the world. Smoking could be associated with a "bad" path of life. In my version of the image, smoking takes a different meaning completely. It represents an escape or a past time for this old man as he mourns the loss of a loved one as he watches incense (commonly burned in my culture during prayer). The smoke is filled with phrases like "I miss you" and "Please don't go" in Chinese. This is a nostalgic tribute to my Chinese heritage and ancestors using similar elements to Sally Mann's photograph as inspiration.