Patricia Falsado

BALIK BAYAN

[10.03.2020 to 10.05.2020 ]
SPRMRKT at STPI

I propose the following definition of the nation: it is an imagined political community-and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign…..Communities are to be distinguished, not by their falsity/genuineness, but by the style in which they are imagined…. Ultimately, it is this fraternity that makes it possible, over the past two centuries for so many millions of people, not so much to kill, as willing to die for such limited imaginings. (Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities)

Benedict Anderson’s constructivist approach perceives the nation as a continuous human project, subjectively developed by people. He argues that the shared strong feeling of solidarity and unity is ultimately imaginary. We are constantly shaping and moulding our own identities in order to adjust to our current environment.

Click Here to View Performance Video
Balik Bayan is a performance piece which reflects the Filipino diaspora and various identities that have been uprooted and moulded by the cultural influences of their host country. The installation centers around the concept of an imagined identity and its reconstruction. It brings the artist’s experience of coping with the pressure to assimilate with a new cultural environment into light. Throughout the process of moulding and re-shaping – the stones are pressed, shaped and formed by hand to call out to the Artist’s diaspora as a Filipino in Singapore.
Patricia Falsado (b.1994) is a Filipino artist based in Singapore. Her body of work revolves around the concept of national identity – Explored through sensory works, installations and performances. She encourages her audience to see through their hands first before forming a visual notion through their eyes.

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