Day 3 of 28 Days in February Project

This painting is inspired by high school Deaf students who took my workshop in 2013. The workshop that
I taught was to explore your own identity through Deafhood journey, using the themes in De'VIA.
They expressed about themselves from home, in school and in their own social peer, everything in a painting.
Many of them realized they did not know where they fit in- their own identity. Whether they have cochlear implant, or with no CI and is happy for who they are. 

I had worked with each individual to help them find their journey. I respect their privacy and decided to use
their images into my painting. To show where they are coming from. Many of them have used holding hands, and this has become a new motif for me, holding hands. Many did a painting of a face split in half, one half
has a cochlear implant and the other half is Culturally Deaf and no devices. When students wear cochlear implant, they are able to hear. When they take off their CI, they are Deaf. They had their implants when they were toddlers. As they got older they felt something was taken away, something was missing and something has been removed. They do not know who they are. They say 'which one am I?' 'who am I?' Deaf or Hearing?
A violation of human rights is what this painting is about.

Motif:
Hand holding, means to hang on, embrace each other, one person split in two, embraces each other.
Blue tape, means to leave my ears alone, do not touch my ears, tape on mouth means won't talk.
Blue, black and white colours means Audism.