“Nobody, I think, ought to read poetry, or look at pictures or statues, who cannot find a great deal more in them than the poet or artist has actually expressed. Their highest merit is suggestiveness.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne

A layer of dust had found its home on worn photo albums and fraying boxes; its accumulation lifting a wry smile of exasperation of one understanding the futility of constant cleaning. A strangled coughing fit later, flipped pages of musty photographs reveal a treasure trove of wildness, laughter, fun and happiness.

Group hugs, snarky glares, brilliant smiles, beautiful backgrounds. A family united in the formality of pressed clothes and stern expressions, a young women not yet a mother, a man not yet a father.

Growing up I had always understand the complexity in a mix of cultures that would define my family and those around us. Chinese in nationality, my parents were born and raised in Kolkata, India, in an area known for its large Chinese population.

I’ve always been interested in history; the rich nature of years long gone and its in-depth tales. When my dad made an impulse buy for a little machine that could convert negatives to digital, I realized I had found my new project.

Here, alongside recent photography, you will find a collection of photographs dating back to another life.

~CC