Circuit Boards at SFMOMA

In 2025, my Circuit Boards were featured at SFMOMA in the special retail exhibit supporting the Ruth Asawa retrospective. Ruth is, to me, the goddess of all goddesses—her practice at the intersection of craft and fine art is exactly where my work lives, too. Seeing my work in conversation with hers is nothing short of a dream come true.

During the exhibit, I had the rare opportunity to study her sculptures up close. In one moment of delight, I realized she used a loop-in-loop construction—meaning she never had to pull an end through. Brilliant. It’s not unlike the technique I use in my Diamond Rings series, where the elegance of the knot comes from its continuous flow.

Like Ruth, I make fine art proudly rooted in craft traditions. Knot tying, like many fiber arts, has long been relegated to the category of “women’s work”—the kind done at home, on the couch, after the kids are asleep. For too long, the fine art world didn’t know how to value this kind of making.

Ruth Asawa showed me what’s possible. She crocheted with wire to create volumes in space, raised a family while building a groundbreaking career, and pushed forward without waiting for permission. As an Asian American woman working in similar techniques and at large scale, I’m deeply grateful for her example—not only for the art itself, but for her generosity to her community here in San Francisco.

Ruth once said, “A line can go anywhere.” This collaboration with SFMOMA is one of the places my own line has travelled, and I carry her inspiration forward with every knot I tie.

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