This exposition explores the experiences, struggles, challenges, and discoveries of an allophone within Canadian society. Through research-creation, I aim to illuminate the bittersweet nuances of bilingual existence in the contemporary art world. The text addresses not only language and translation in academia and art writing, but also examines how language can act as both a driving force and a barrier in the creative process—particularly in text-based artworks, book art, and socially engaged or community-based practices. Grounded in the principles of autotheory, this work draws on socio-political, environmental, and personal factors that have shaped and informed my artistic practice. Spanning from 2022 to the present, this research is an ongoing effort to reconcile the fragmented thoughts, ideas, and processes of research-creation as a bilingual researcher/creator.
