Projects spotlight
Floater Identities. 36 x 40 in, oil on canvas, 36 x 40 in. March 2023.
"Floater Identities" is a visualization of the experiences of the inability to completely belong within the Canadian and Filipino cultures. How do I belong when each time I reach towards one culture, fragments of myself pose the threat of being left behind? I am a piece of a puzzle unable to fit within the narratives and context in which I reside in. I am but a floating identity, always on the verge of collapsing, existing only partially within two different narratives.
Pag-bawi (Tagalog for the process of retrieval) 2023, Oil on Canvas, 24 x 36 in.
As an immigrant from the Philippines, this piece is an ode to the start of my journey in reclaiming and understanding myself with my identity and practice. Growing up in Canada, I felt as if I've never wholly belonged to Canadian and Filipino identities, floating between the two and not quite comprehending who I am and where I belong. This semester, I allowed myself to dive into exploring the concept of belonging and fully understand the concept of "floating identity," as I described. As per my practice, my painting research studio class has given me the opportunity to realize the capabilities of oil painting. Predominantly working with acrylics, I felt that I'd been limiting myself and was determined to learn the materiality of oil painting. As part of my oil painting series, Pag-bawi became my second piece that rekindled my enthusiasm for painting. Along with the newfound exploration that I'm deeply passionate about, I am slowly unravelling the answers to the question, "Who am I?
Wayfinder, 36x40 in. Oil on Canvas, 2023.
Part of my oil painting series started in 2023 in a painting research studio class, where I challenged myself to explore the materiality of oil painting while understanding my identity as a Filipino-Canadian. The inability to wholly belong to neither Canadian and Filipino identities, floating between the two and not quite comprehending who I am and where I belong became the explored concept. I like to describe this as "floating identities" Wayfinder is one of the first pieces bordering the stories from Philippine mythologies. Revisualizing the constellations that I remember seeing from home, this art piece derived from the story of Tala (Tagalog for morning star or the brightest star), who guided humankind to the safety of their homes during their travels. The active research and exposure to these narratives became a methodology for understanding and creating a sense of my belonging within Canada's multicultural society and, in a way, Tala is guiding me home.
