“Rest In Power has its roots in my first series about gender-based violence, When Honour Kills (2006), which was my response to a rash of honour killings in the lower mainland in the early to mid-2000s. It questioned this notion of honour that is so powerful families are willing to kill their daughters over it. And let’s be clear here, just daughters, never sons. The two women from that series, Jaswinder Sidhu and Amandeep Atwal, are also featured in Rest In Power.”

“[This leads us] back to the myth that I choose to work with: it’s a story about a king of Iran, whose name is Zahak. By the kisses of the devil, two snakes start growing from his shoulders. He is very afraid of his snakes and seeks a doctor to help him. But the devil transforms himself into a doctor and instructs Zahak to cut off the heads of the young people of his country, make a meal of their brains, and feed it to his snakes.”

“I’m interested in what happens when these objects are in a room together. Most of the objects are unremarkable things that have deep meaning and rich stories—things like books, cups, teapots, pendants, rocks, etcetera. I’ve used my own style when re-creating these things—which includes elements of simplicity, delicacy, and whimsy—so the objects will be seen from a new perspective.”