A lot of attention went to "Reflections of Experiences of the Icons", a portrait of her mother and two other middle-aged women.
Nge Lay: This artwork is a big challenge for me, because this kind of photogaraphy is very difficult to show in my country. Because my coutnry’s religion and culture, most women don’t want to show their naked bodies in front of other people.
When I was young me and my mum... our feeling was a little bit far, because I come from a big family. And so I thought my mum don’t love me, she doesn’t take time to take care of me.
Nge Lay: I think about my ma. She loved me. Because my ma has a big scar on her womb, where everybody can see. She had that operation before I was born. She got that scar very big because of the maker of the operation. So after that operation the doctor told her, "Don’t make a baby again," because the womb can be unsafe for her. But after five years, she had me, and then she wanted to have me alive.
So after my second miscarriage, I asked her about these things. And then I can see she loved me so much.
When I was young I was very afraid of her scar. When I showed it to me, she always was ashamed about that, because she thinks it is very ugly. After I hear, I think her body is very ugly. But I can see from her body how much she loves me. And when she hugs me, I think she is a big tree. I can feel very safe and very very good.
At first, she didn’t agree because this is very difficult. After I requested her, most of my brothers and sisters were against the photography. But afterwards my mum agreed with me to shoot that photograph.
Her "Observing of Self on Being Dead" series deals with her history of depression:
Nge Lay: When I was 8 or 9 years old, I saw many people die in front of me, because ein the 1980s the government killed many demonstration people. I always dream of some people dying, very bloody bodies.
Wanna see a painting of hers? From her Tokyo solo exhibition? Why not: