Dogeaters
oil, tempera, chalkboard paint, coffee
48" x 21" |
Artist
Statement
I have often wondered why Filipino Americans have been such an invisible
part of any form of discourse in this country. This query is perhaps
due to the fact that as an artist, I am always confronted with issues
of context, relevance and artistic discourse. Through my work, I
attempt to infer this frustration by manifesting images and energy
specific to my experience as a Filipino in America, transforming
them into an individualized and personalized imagery and finally
letting these images "run amok." In the piece entitled
"Dogeaters" I played around with the racial insult hurled
upon Filipinos beginning from early 20th century and continues up
to this day. During the Philippine-American war (1899-1913) 1,200
tribal natives of the Philippines were put on display at the 1904
St. Louis Exposition (in a Philippine Reservation that spanned 47
acres) as a way for Americans to take a first glimpse of the inhabitants
of their new possession. As a scapegoat for war, Filipinos were
portrayed as uncivilized and unfit for self-government. Thus, as
one of its main crowd-drawers, the Filipino "Igorots"
were made to eat dog every day of the fair. In my painting, a dog
is entering the mouth of a figure voluntarilly, against the will
of the figure, giving the narrative a kind of incoherence. Ranging
from ancient depictions of Filipinos to popular culture such as
contemporary cartoons, I also played around with ways in which Filipinos
are depicted in mass culture. Furthermore, I also experimented with
the use of manila folders to lay the groundwork for my piece. Manila
folders not only implies "filed" information, but also
this material originated from manila hemp which is indigenous to
the Philippines; as such suggests a connection to Manila, the capital
city of the Philippines. I used manila folder as a metaphor for
the condition of Filipino Americans in that despite of their long
history and large numbers in this country they have yet to be "discovered"
in American academia, literature, film, the arts, and media. We
have always been integrally established here in the US yet American
society does not recognize our existence. Thus, the discrimination
I face as a Filipino in America is significant in a lot of ways
in relation to those who encounter direct manifestations of discrimination.
The discrimination I face is indifference, which is like having
a prison sentence without a chance for parole.
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