Heritage
My name is Pamela See (Xue Mei-Ling).
I was born in Meanjin (Brisbane) during the late 1970s, to Chinese diaspora.
My father arrived as a student in the early 1960s, just after the Australian government abolished the dictation test.
His father left China, at the age of 12years, in 1930.
My heritage reflects the two largest groups to immigrate from China during the 19th century, which originated from Fujian province and Guangdong province.
Whilst the former were pastoral workers, known as the Amoy Shepherds, many of the latter were miners, gardeners and furniture makers.
My papercutting style is primarily informed by Foshan papercutting, which is endemic to my mother’s family’s (Foong) home province of Guangdong.
Foshan means ‘Buddha’s mountain’, and many religious artifacts are manufactured in this area adjacent to one of my ancestorial homes.
It also borrows from silhouette portraiture, which was prevalent in Europe and North America during the 18th and 19th centuries.
My artwork may be interpreted in the context of the migrant experience.