Portraiture is conceivably the most accessible form of art. Audiences are impressed by something they can recognise immediately and connect with.
It captivates wide audiences and I want to capitalise on this exposure because for me, portraiture is an agent for cultural representation. I am determined and proud to represent the Filipino and migrant communities, the Western Sydney communities, women and mothers.
I am driven to succeed to access platforms that have not previously been granted to these communities. My portraits are often painted on freighting cardboard supports otherwise destined for discard. I challenge the viewer’s perception of value when I then apply rich material such as oil and 23K gold leaf onto a disposable material. The cardboard, imbued with migration itself, represents the making-do ethos of the Filipino people. Symbolically, cardboard also reflects the longstanding tradition of the balikbayan box whereby Filipino migrants are expected to provide aid to their family left in the Philippines.
Hallowed Be Thy Name takes its title from the ‘Our Father’ prayer, and illustrates my and my husband’s decision to change our children’s surname to my own. This radical stance against patriarchal custom leaves me and my children in a precarious position. Surrounded by the foliage of our domestic ‘Eden’, wearing the traditional Barong Tagalog dress of the Philippines, each child is holding their favourite, albeit deadly native animal: a blue-ringed octopus, an inland taipan and a saltwater crocodile. These are also biblical symbols of temptation and sin – evil lurking everywhere in my garden of good intentions.
My work is forged by, with and for my children. My practice is informed by my experiences as a mother and my artistic processes are dictated by this maternal role. Art practice and motherhood are not segregated duties but are instead collaborative, though offering both reciprocal favour and hardships. My interest in articulating the complexities of my cultural identities has only been heightened by motherhood and my work seeks to expose this personal conflict, not only for myself, but as a legacy for my children. In this work, their drawings of tentacles and reptiles, paintings of flowers, self portrait drawings and designs on the garments entwine my refined technique, adding a visual intrigue and deep sentimentality. Their collaborations with me are reserved only for the deeply personal and passionate pieces in which they are the muses. My practice is dedicated to my children; to demonstrate to them what is possible, to help them learn to understand their cultural identities, to stand up for what they think is right, but perhaps they’re just inheriting my sins.
