✧Selected works✧
Nakahinumdom pa ko Nimo; Wa na Tika Naabtan
A performance where I reconnect with my ancestors by talking to the spirits of the deceased about what I learned about them from my living relatives and my sentiments toward them. This performance is reminiscent of a tradition from the Philippines called Undas, wherein families flock to the graves of their dearly departed, pray and tell stories about them.
In Carl Lorenz Cervantes's book, Kapwa Spirituality, he stated that "when a person dies, they become part of nature. They become Anitos". Cervantes explained that the Anitos are ancestral spirits who joined other astral beings in a different realm. Through his works, I learned that Filipino spirituality heavily relies on anitism. comes from the Hispano-Filipino term "anitismo", which is a worship of anitos or ancestor spirits. Despite being a mostly Catholic nation, Filipinos still practice Indigenous traditions and rituals that may be considered Pagan practice, one of them being Undas.
When I arrived in Canada, my family stopped doing the Undas tradition because we were on a different land. The only thing we were able to offer were our prayers.
Out of Reach
In this installation, I channel my emotions and memories into an act of prayer and remembrance, focusing on a departed relative. At the center of the installation, an altar dedicated to my grandfather serves as a physical manifestation of my devotion and sacred space for spiritual communion. Adjacent to the altar, a large wall acts as a canvas for the projection, becoming a portal where the intangible essence of myself is made visible.
The parallels between spirits and the projection aspect of the work are deeply intertwined. Like spirits, projections exist in a liminal space between the tangible and intangible. They possess an ephemeral quality, flickering between reality and illusion. embodying the intangible nature of memories and emotions. Through the act of projecting a video of myself onto the wall, I strive to bridge the gap between the physical and the spiritual, inviting the viewer to contemplate the inherent interconnectedness of our world.
Out of Reach seeks to evoke a poignant exploration of absence, presence, and the enduring power of love and memory. It is an intimate invitation to witness the yearning, solace, and hope that arise from our human longing to connect with those who have departed.
Ceramic Sculptures
