Pamilya - April 17th, 1942, in commemoration of the artist's grandfather, Francisco “Tatay Kikoy” Hebreo Buendia, who survived the Bataan Death March on this day

2022 | MSU Broad Art Museum | USA

The Pamilya series envisions the experience of sharing stories with loved ones over dinner, even when external circumstances make gathering nearly impossible. Drawing from recorded interviews with my family members in the Philippines and California about their experiences of diaspora, the work brings a vacant dining table to life through sculptural casts, video projection, and sound.

This piece titled Pamilya - April 17th, 1942, in commemoration of the artist's grandfather, Francisco “Tatay Kikoy” Hebreo Buendia, who survived the Bataan Death March on this day highlights the migration story of my late grandfather who fought in World War II as a Filipino guerrilla soldier.

“‘She’s my mom, and she’s also my dad… I learned everything from my Nanay Dela.’ Members of a Filipino family reminisce over their late matriarch, Fidela ‘Nanay Dela’ Raqueño Gregorio, as they share a meal together. We hear their conversation wash over a tableau of their dinner: paper that has printed and cut out to mimic banana leaves cover a table, and spilling over it is a massive spread of Jufran banana ketchup and soy sauce, dragon fruit and jackfruit, empanadas and lumpia, a lucky cat statue, and a small Mother Mary. These objects have been cast in resin and paper clay and are garishly painted in a bright neon, the same shade as a cinematic green screen. Five white paper clay plates are set at the table, and projected over each plate is video footage of a different Filipino dish— iconic dishes from kare-kare to adobo— diminishing over time as it is eaten; hands and forks appear in the frame, as evidence of a meal enjoyed. It is a spectacular, beautiful rendition of a mundane dinner, preserving a fleeting moment of connection forever….and yet.” — Thea Quiray Tagle

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