Doris & Hong

Doris, a 70-year-old Italian retiree, was born in Eritrea to an Italian family during the Italian colonial period. Hong, a 23-year-old Chinese girl, grew up in the economic boom of China. Having been accepted to an art school in Rome, Hong flew to Rome, and is being housed at Doris’ spare room. It is her first time out of China. Both women considered the living arrangement temporary, lasting for a few months to a year, an exchange of little importance. But what happened during the following months was a surprise to both of them. Symbolically, the two women represent a meeting of the old culture of the West and the new hope and coming of age of the East.