A grandfather who fell to a battle against cancer. A dear friend who lost their life to suicide. A friend’s mother who was murdered. They are among the many people that Maelea Tan has lost — only at 21 years of age. In resilience, Tan is channeling their grief through art: creating an intricate mask to represent each stage of grief, and honoring those she lost through a gallery these masks live in.

For Northwestern News Network.