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Pinoy Abroad

Migrant artists share their vision of a ‘new Filipino’ in Hong Kong exhibit


For the more than 2.2 million Filipinos working overseas in all six continents, displacement and identity usually form the basis of the families they bring over in their journey. Even in the Philippines, the definition of home is changing due to a constantly changing economy.

This change, and the emergence of new Filipinos, is the concept which binds "New Natives," an art exhibition by Filipino-led Lightbombs Contemporary in Hong Kong.
 

Gel Jamlang's vision of home


Held at their space in Wong Chuk Hang, "New Natives" will feature 28 artists, including two expats who never quite forgot their home.

"My mother moved us to the San Francisco Bay Area when I was about three years old. She was a college student and part of a migration of Filipinos looking for better opportunity in the US," Stephanie Syjuco told GMA News Online in an email interview.

Syjuco, a fellow at the Guggenheim Foundation, added, "Being part of the diaspora of Filipinos that exist around the globe was less of a choice for me and more of a reality."

Michael Arcega, an assistant professor of art at San Francisco State University, also moved to California at a young age, but his art continues to be informed by his memories of the Philippines.

He explained, "My work definitely has Filipino undertones- it is heavily influenced by the culture and language. [It's] a convergence of my Filipino upbringing and American development."

"You can't deny where you are from, even if you have been forced to reinvent yourself because of a different, present context," said Syjuco.

But rather than staying rooted in a central identity, she said Filipinos create multiple identities abroad when they assimilate the culture of their host country.

"We take with us the connections we are forced to make around the world and build on them as we can," she said.

"New Natives," Syjuco explained, implied that "there is transformation happening" in how artists are responding to "proximity, distance, and communities."

"It's  one of a few curatorial projects that acknowledges and focuses on the diasporic nature of the Filipino culture," said Arcega.

The scattering of Filipinos and other cultures across borders, Syjuco predicts, may change what defines culture and national identity.

She said, "It's why I think trying to identify what is "Filipino" about my work can be difficult, but I do believe it is there: an adaptability, a chameleon-like quality that deals with global flows of labor, migration, and economies."

Zoe Peña, Lightbombs Contemporary founder, said "New Natives" also dealt with how the identity of an artist "had very little to do with geography these days."

"What one is recognized for is the work they do, so essentially everyone is untethered," Peña explained.

Other artists participating in the exhibit include:
  • Ringo Bunoan
  • Felix Bacolor
  • Gary-Ross Pastrana
  • Jed Escueta
  • Romeo Lee
  • Christina Quisumbing Ramilo
  • Maya Muñoz
  • Dex Fernandez
  • Zeus Bascon
  • Neil Arvin Javier
  • Anya Villanueva
  • Pancho Villanueva
  • Marija Vicente
  • Gail Vicente
  • Victor Balanon
  • Gel Jamlang
  • Archie Geotina
  • Pin Calacal
  • Jay Yao
  • Alvin Zafra

"I am proud that Lightbombs is able to show the talents of these artists to a global audience," added Peña.

Artists Arnel Agawin, Wawi Navarroza, Costantino Zicarelli, and Bobbit Segismundo will be present to give tours of the exhibit. — BM, GMA News

“Hong Kong: New Natives” will run from April 30 until May 30. After the grand opening, the exhibit will be open to the public from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
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