Sonia Jia explores trauma and the still-raw legacy of Japanese occupation on canvas
A bare maiden gets down on one knee. She offers a delicate bouquet to another woman, who, in silent reverence, inclines her head closer to the flowers with a lit cigarette. Against a skin-colored backdrop, their unadorned bodies come to life, revealing the presence of scars and veins. The artwork resembles a fragment peeled from an ancient cave painting.
Healing Strokes: A Gen Z Artist Explores Personal Pain and Historical Trauma is a story from our issue, “Online Odyssey.” To read the entire issue, become a subscriber and receive the full magazine.
Hayley Zhao is an English editor and writer at The World of Chinese. Born and raised in Beijing, Hayley is a multimedia journalist with experience in podcast production. You can find her binging TV shows and stand-up comedy at home when she’s not working.
