I am a Filipino artist based in the UK who combines the cultures of two countries in my artwork. My upbringing in the West has made me fascinated with preserving memories of the Philippines and the UK. This journey of preservation is a significant part of my work, reflecting my love for my birthplace and ethnicity. I also touch on the idea of travel and voyage in my work.
I feel strongly connected to the Philippines, my parents' home country, with its rich traditions and tropical beauty. In honour of this connection, I organise photoshoots featuring friends from my Filipino community in Suffolk to practice and preserve Filipino values in photographs as a souvenir after being geographically far away from the Philippines. I also work with my photo archives from my visits to the Philippines to see my family and use them to make mixed-media art.
Because the UK is prosperous in royal history and in-rooted customs such as ceramics and porcelain, I use porcelain bric-a-brac in combination with my photographs to tie into the idea of two homes, and I believe that this blend allows me to explore identity in more depth and find similarities and differences between cultures.
I aim to convey a sense of unity in my work by encouraging viewers to appreciate the richness of cultural exchange and the beauty of shared human experiences.