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holy water, CLASSIC WHITe
Imported Bottles of Eskinol Classic White Facial Deep Cleanser with custom labels, Plexiglass Shelving, LED Fixtures on Wood Panels H 108” × W 90” × D 5” 2023 Filipinos have long been conditioned to associate lighter skin with beauty, intelligence, wealth, and power — a perception reinforced by the veneration of whiteness introduced during centuries of colonial rule. This work features bottles of Eskinol, a widely used skin cleanser marketed for its skin-lightening effects, underscoring the deep-rooted influence of colorism and internalized racism. Beyond beauty standards, colonization also commodified religion, introducing Christianity as both a tool of control and a symbol of status. Faith was marketed alongside whiteness, binding salvation, power, and light skin into a singular, oppressive ideal. This piece examines how colonial legacies continue to shape the Filipino identity.
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PANAHON PA NI MAGELLAN
Polyvinyl Acetate Skin Grafts, Ink, Make-Up Foundation on Wood, Concrete hollow Blocks H 72” × W 96” × D 8” 2023 Bahay na bato is a historic Filipino architectural style that blends Spanish colonial design with indigenous traditions. These ancestral homes are increasingly disappearing due to the high costs of upkeep and modernization. Inspired by the Capiz shell windows common to these homes, this work replaces the traditional oyster shell panels with synthetic skin grafts, a life cast of the artist's skin. It serves as an ode to my grandparents’ ancestral home and a reflection on the fragile persistence of cultural memory.
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SHOO FLY, DON'T BOTHER ME (PAMBUGAW/FLY-WHISK)
All materials Made in the USA: Five Deconstructed USA Stick Flags, found Wood Base, Metal Flag Mount, Oil H 36” × W 12” × D 7” 2023 In the wake of the pandemic, the American flag has undergone a profound transformation — shifting from a symbol of unity to a reflection of deep societal divisions. While it remains a beacon of hope for some, it has also become a contested emblem, weaponized and redefined along ideological lines. Through this mixed media sculpture, I explore this evolving dichotomy, prompting viewers to reconsider the role and meaning of national symbols in turbulent times.
The sculpture itself resembles a pambugaw ng langaw (fly-whisk), a common object in the Philippines used to shoo away flies. In various cultures, the fly-whisk also symbolizes authority, respect, and the sweeping away of ignorance. Here, it becomes a layered metaphor — a tool for pushing away decay, deception, and ideological extremism. To deepen the piece’s resonance, its title borrows from “Shoo Fly, Don’t Bother Me,” an American folk song with racist origins and historical ties to the Spanish-American War — a conflict that led to the U.S. acquisition of several Spanish territories, including the Philippines. By combining these threads, the work interrogates how symbols of nationhood, power, and history are manipulated, reimagined, and contested over time. |
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THE WORLD'S MINE OYSTER
Philippine Made Wood Souvenirs Concentrically Painted with Various Pearlescent Acrylics Item Dimensions: Variable ▪ Pedestal Dimension: L 36” × W 36” 2023 This body of work explores the metaphor of pearl formation as a symbol for the immigrant experience. As an oyster covers a foreign object with layers to protect itself, so too do immigrants in America build identities shaped by resilience and transformation. The artist presents Filipino handicrafts, familiar from a childhood home, coated in layers of pearlescent paint to represent this process. The title references a phrase from Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, originally evoking the idea of forcefully taking what one desires, paralleling the violent colonization of the Philippines by Spain and the United States. Through material and metaphor, the work
addresses themes of colonization, identity, and survival. |
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NA TUMBA TUMBA NA
Found Butaka Chair, Wood, Oil 2023 |
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PAMBUGAW (FLY -WHISK)
Deconstructed American Flags on Stick Video (Stills) 2021 |
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BROWN ON THE OUTSIDE, WHITE ON THE INSIDE
Coconut Shells, imported Whitening Beauty Soap, a splash of Eskinol Classic White Facial Deep Cleanser 2019 |
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COCONUT
Oil on Wood Souvenir H 10” × W 12” × D 5” 2019 The carabao, a domesticated water buffalo, stands as a national symbol of the Philippines, while coconuts remain one of the country’s major agricultural staples. In a different context, however, the word coconut has been weaponized as an ethnic slur — used to accuse someone of betraying their race or culture by assimilating into white American norms, suggesting they are “brown on the outside, white on the inside.” This piece explores the tension between pride in heritage and the internalized pressures of colonial ideals, inviting reflection on the layered complexities of Filipino identity and belonging.
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INTANGIBLE VALUE (of art)
Mixed Media, Oil, Metal Spring-Loaded Bar Wood Rat Trap Each trap: H 3.25” × W 7” × D 1” ◦ Installation Dimensions: Variable 2019-Ongoing The allure of money often masks deeper needs, leading to a deceptive perception of reality. While wealth promises fulfillment, true contentment comes from meaningful connections and personal growth beyond material possessions.
This installation took place inside a Budget rental truck parked behind the defunct Carnegie Art Museum (1987-2019) and C.A.M. Studio Gallery (2015-2020) in Oxnard, CA for its penultimate show. The box truck’s interior was made to mimic the inside of the museum. Due to the city’s mismanaging of funds, its first solution to the budget deficit was to cut the funding to the arts. It shut down the museum and its gallery that provided artist residencies, as well as threatening the shutdown of the performing arts center. |
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HIGH HORSE
Wood, Coconut Shells, Whitening Beauty Soap, Western-Style Horizontal Cowboy Spur, Leather, a splash of Eskinol Classic White Facial Deep Cleanser Approximately: H 32” × W 60” × D 60” ◦ Installation Dimensions: Variable 2018-Ongoing This is a recontextualization of a kudkuran ng niyog, a traditional tool found in the Philippines used to scrape the meat off of mature coconuts. This artwork challenges colonial legacy by replacing traditional Filipino symbols with tools of harm and Western beauty products. A spur replaces the coconut scraper, and skin whitening soap replaces coconut meat, reflecting how colonialism has reshaped Filipino identity. Using both Filipino and American imagery, and marking years lived in the U.S. with coconuts, the piece examines the lasting personal and cultural effects of colonization.
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BAHAY NA BATO (STONE HOUSE)
Polyvinyl Acetate Skin Grafts, Ink, Make-Up Foundation on Wood 2016 |
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BLISTER
Polyvinyl Acetate Skin Graft, Make-up Concealer, and Ink, on plexiglass. 2015 |
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Empathy
multi-channel installation in collaboration with aaron dadacay 2012 |
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FAÇADE
Polyvinyl Acetate Full Body Skin Graft on Wood 2011 |
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ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
Oil on Reclaimed Timber H 36” × W 30” × D 21” 2009 A representation of the symbiotic relationship between humans, plants, and animals and our insatiable appetite for consumption. — with humans, plants, and animals.
I’m interested in the human experience, symbiosis, and the vicissitudes of the interaction between the work and the viewer/consumer. In the construct of a hyperreality and the use of metaphors and parallels, I try to seduce my audience, playing on their expectations and assumptions based on their preconceived notions. Through the lure and allure, I pull the viewer in hoping that their experience and understanding of the work will unfold into a dialectic gaze. |