The Shoulders We Stand On
Format
Senior Art and Design Exhibition
Faculty Mentor Name
Daniel Kasser
Faculty Mentor Department
Studio Art
Abstract/Artist Statement
As a first generation Filipino-American woman, I was raised by Filipino immigrants who struggled to keep their culture intact while also assimilating into American culture. Growing up, I was considered “very Filipino” by my American peers, while my elders felt I was “too American” for my lack of knowledge of my native culture. I spent most of my life figuring out where I stood in between these two cultures. Neither the American nor the Filipino culture welcomed me fully, which resulted in a dual identity. I explore both cultures and my journey in between them through my images. I choose to layer my photographs and prints to show a sense of history. I want my work to function as a palimpsest, covering the old with the new. I use photographs that I have found in my research of Filipino and Filipino-American history. Some photos are taken from family albums of when my grandmother, mother, and father were growing up in the Philippines. I juxtapose these archival images against related contemporary images. These images include stills from cultural dances, and photographs from childhood baby albums. I combine these photographs with texts written by my family. These writings accompany the photographs to create a sense of nostalgia. The images I produce are my way of paying homage to my Filipino ancestors while looking towards my present and future opportunities in the United States.
Location
Reynolds Art Gallery
Start Date
16-4-2014 6:00 PM
End Date
16-4-2014 8:00 PM
The Shoulders We Stand On
Reynolds Art Gallery
As a first generation Filipino-American woman, I was raised by Filipino immigrants who struggled to keep their culture intact while also assimilating into American culture. Growing up, I was considered “very Filipino” by my American peers, while my elders felt I was “too American” for my lack of knowledge of my native culture. I spent most of my life figuring out where I stood in between these two cultures. Neither the American nor the Filipino culture welcomed me fully, which resulted in a dual identity. I explore both cultures and my journey in between them through my images. I choose to layer my photographs and prints to show a sense of history. I want my work to function as a palimpsest, covering the old with the new. I use photographs that I have found in my research of Filipino and Filipino-American history. Some photos are taken from family albums of when my grandmother, mother, and father were growing up in the Philippines. I juxtapose these archival images against related contemporary images. These images include stills from cultural dances, and photographs from childhood baby albums. I combine these photographs with texts written by my family. These writings accompany the photographs to create a sense of nostalgia. The images I produce are my way of paying homage to my Filipino ancestors while looking towards my present and future opportunities in the United States.
