Cherie Leung, Where are you? (I'm not here), felt strips, jute, and yarn, 16in(h) x 17in(w) x 17in(d), 2024.

Sometimes I just want to shut out the world.

I was sitting in class and imagining that I wasn't there - I was in a cave and my surroundings were disappearing. I wanted to capture this feeling. This wearable piece is made of felt strips and bound with jute. I used a basket-weaving technique to construct the sculpture and then embroidered the words in thick brown wool around it. When worn, the felt strips effectively muffles one's surroundings, creating a dark, warm, ad safe cave that mimics what I had felt.

Cherie Leung, How are you?, cotton fabric, batting, thread, 35in x 28.5in, 2024.

Cherie Leung, How are you?, cotton fabric, batting, thread, 35in x 28.5in, 2024.

This soft sculpture/wearable captures feelings of comfort and isolation. The hand-stitched words, “I’m fine thank you” are silent but bold, announcing the expected response when someone asks, “How are you?”, regardless of how one really feels.

When worn, the piece looks like a cocoon but is also reminiscent of a straitjacket, which reinforces the restraint of expressing one’s actual mental health.

Cherie Leung, I'm Okay, vinyl, cotton batting and emergency blanket, 42in x 35.5in, 2023.

(installation view)

This piece reflects on the need for depression medication. Evocative of a pill packet, it is quilted with a shower curtain, 3 emergency blankets and batting. As with a quilt, the medication provides a sense of comfort and relief.

Cherie Leung, Time Heals All Wounds, embroidery thread, quilting cotton, batting, 9.25in x 32in, 2023.

Fortune cookies are mass-produced, yet we hope desperately that they are true. The process of enlarging and hand-embroidering this piece was a way of personalizing and preserving the message that was received.

Cherie Leung, Time Heals All Wounds, embroidery thread, quilting cotton, batting, 9.25in x 32in, 2023. 

(detail view)