About Me
I am a multidisciplinary artist working in printmaking and oil painting. My work draws on Filipino narratives and mythologies to explore identity, belonging, and the experience of growing up between cultures.
Artist Statement
My work as a multi-disciplinary artist involves delving into lost stories from my cultural background, which were disconnected due to the challenges of adapting to a new identity and immigrating to a different country. Through oil and canvas, my focus is to evoke subject matter that pertains to Filipino narratives to explore the complexities of my "floater identity." Immigrating from the Philippines to Canada at the age of ten, I have experienced difficulties belonging to either culture. However, I saw an opportunity for belonging and reclamation within Canada’s multicultural society through active research and exposure to the narratives surrounding my roots and heritage, specifically through the exploration of the Philippine indigenous mythologies and oral traditions. As an artist who primarily uses acrylics, I’m determined to broaden my skills and techniques through the exploration of unfamiliar materials, specifically oil paints. The paint's malleability allows me to practice my technical skills in figure painting, which has been a new challenge for me. The intricacies of skin colour, including its shadows, highlights, and contours, have fascinated and motivated me to study human anatomy. I prefer to work on a smooth surface canvas to achieve a smoother finish, especially on the skin surfaces. In terms of colour, I lean towards darker hues and tones to highlight the main subject rather than distract from it, keeping the focus on the technicality of the work. Ultimately, my work integrates Filipino and Canadian narratives, allowing me to take pride in my "floater identity.
Education
- Alberta University of the Arts - (Undergraduate) Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting Major
Exhibitions
- 12th Annual President’s Student Art, Craft and Design Exhibition
- AuArts 2nd Gallery Crawl (The Bungalow Gallery - Fall Semester 2022)
- AuArts 2nd Gallery Crawl (The Garden Gallery - Winter Semester 2023)
Practicing in