She/Her
My work investigates the tension between generational history and the immediacy of my lived experience. This tension isn’t resolved; instead, it coexists within my work.
Batok (Filipino tattooing) and Indigenous Filipino weaving informs my linoleum patterns and motifs.
The tedious preparation of hand painting each piece of fabric to the repetitive act of carving and pressing lino onto it, becomes a form of spiritual grounding.
Each gesture is intentional, creating a rhythmic repetition. To physically tatak (engrave) memory of the Anito (the ancestors) and my cultural heritage into my practice.
I then transition into the cutting and reconstruction of these fabrics, echoing the disruptions of colonisation and imperialism.
These garments become a reflection of migration and diaspora, the weight of displacement. These costumes are activated and transformed once again through my live dance performances.
Dance within my work functions as a spiritual ritual. Instead of sticking to one style I have curated my own freestyle, mainly influenced by waacking, tutting, popping, hip hop and vogue. These movements, though not traditional, are deeply personal to me due to the origins of styles stemming from queer and marginalised communities. My performances become a site for both ancestral and contemporary connection.
In March I partook in a group show, Masking, at Two Queens Gallery. My performances are often participatory, the clapping and ululating in my film comes directly from the audience members. As I struggle with a physical disability, I am unable to perform live during my show. Instead, I set to create an installation that offers a view into my recurring spiritual and personal redefinition; acting not only as a documentation but a tribute to my personal growth and transformation.
