David Newson-Tran, Gens, វង្សាវញាណ, 门第 18 (PEOPLE & PORTRAIT 2025)

“不孝有三，无后为大” — Of the three great betrayals, not having children is the worst. Gens, វង#វ$ណ, 门第, explores family and cultural expectations, and the shift that comes with breaking tradition. Inspired by my wife’s traditional Chinese upbringing and our decision not to have children, this work reflects on the slow erosion of inherited culture and the tension between past and present. Using old family photos, digital paintings, and photography, generations merge—cultural symbols remain, but they are fragile. A white body lingers in the frame—a presence both personal and colonial. This figure among them, not belonging, yet ever-present—an intrusion into a lineage not its own. Traditions have a way of insisting on their permanence, but they shift more easily than we think. What was once sacred becomes decor, then memory, then something we can no longer explain why it mattered at all. A bloodline can end with one choice. We live with unfulfilled wishes and the stories we choose to continue—or let go.

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