Dig

Dig, 2022

6 inches x 6 inches

acrylic on canvas

Original Painting by Marianne Valdez

This painting was originally thought to be a mistake but proved otherwise. Starting off as an abstract experiment, I began with a base colour of red. Layering on colour after colour, the blend did not feel the greatest to me, so I began scraping the paint away. Within this process, I became aware of the feeling of dissatisfaction and my expectations of creating a pleasing visual. 

After some reflection, the feelings that arose went from expecting myself to create “pleasing art” from a consumer’s perspective, to that of my internalized beliefs about what it means to be a good artist, a good Filipino, through years of trying to reconcile my upbringing as a Filipino born in Canada - one who observed the differences in my life in Canada and my extended family in the Philippines. No one had outright told me that I wasn’t “Filipino enough”, but the feeling of disconnection was present without it being labeled. This disconnection being an extension of the long standing effects of colonialism on my family history, of the Filipino people, which I now experienced as a part of the Filipino diaspora. Many of my personal struggles could never compare to what others had endured before me, but in that moment I realized that the strength they needed to endure was the same strength I needed to rise. It was enough to persevere, but what about moving forward? As I scraped the paint away, a glowing truth was revealed; the deep ancestral ties one has despite the layers of varying cultural experiences. The blood that courses through our veins is proof that we were successfully brought forward by ancestors who had the will to survive atrocities we could never fully understand, only empathize with. I never needed to look elsewhere to know I belong to something bigger, I simply belong because I am myself. So I allowed the foundation to shine through the painting.

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Original Painting arrives signed by the artist with a certificate of authenticity. For framing options, contact the artist at myriadmaker.contact@gmail.com.

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