BAHAY BA NATIN ITO?
“Bahay ba natin ito?”; Is This Home? Home isn’t always so definitive; a complexity of layers. As an autistic queer and second-generation Filipinx-American in the South, embracing home can be challenging. ”Does this feel like home?” becomes a frequent question. It is a search. Bahay ba natin ito? examines the diaspora I feel related to my Filipino background. Most of the pieces are individuals within a series; all connected.
My childhood experiences center around Filipino potlucks and when I think of Filipino grocery items, particular foods come to mind. “Bagoong” and “Banana Ketchup” examine my relationship and memory with Filipino foods. “Bahay Natin Ito” is my recreation of a Filipino staple: the large carved wooden utensils usually hung in the kitchen. With “bahay natin ito,” it makes the statement, “This is our house”; “bahay ba natin ito,” asks, “Is this our house?”.
On the large wall, four images depict four generations: my maternal grandfather, my parents, myself, and my son - “Lolo Victor,” “Miscegenation Made Me,” “Kindergarten,” and “Roman”. Each were created on different materials. “Lolo Victor” connects with thread. “Miscegenation...” and “Kindergarten” are both created on manila paper products; manila papers once made of abaca fiber, a native plant of the Philippines. In “Roman” image, they wear a modern version of a traditional formal FIlipino attire, the barong tagalog. Our different experiences become a balance between social constructs and what is true to self. Do we feel at home? Identity is layered but I am searching for the home that includes not only self but in how we connect and relate.
JUNE 5 - 27, 2021 | RECEPTION JUNE 19 @ 6PM | 500x Gallery. 500 Fabrication Street. Dallas, TX 75212.
