Kapwa:
Our Shared Identity
Rooted in Filipino language and philosophy, kapwa means “shared identity” or “togetherness,” expressing the idea that the self is inseparable from others. It reflects a relational worldview that shapes community, connection and identity in Filipino culture.
My practice explores how identity is shaped through relationships and shared experiences. Growing up in Manila and now based in Tāmaki Makaurau, I’ve come to understand myself not as an isolated individual but as someone formed by the people and communities that surround me.
In my current installation, I present large-scale marker drawings of those closest to me, family members and friends, drawn from my personal photographs. Each face is rendered in bold, fluid lines on sheets of paper that occupy the walls like a shared space. The directness of the marker captures the gestures and imperfections of memory and connection, creating portraits that feel both intimate and collective.
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The scale of the drawings invites viewers to move between them, inhabiting the same physical space as the people who have shaped my life. The openness of line and the absence of background allow each portrait to breathe while still existing in dialogue with the others, suggesting that identity is never singular but always relational.
Through this work, I reimagine portraiture as a form of mapping, an attempt to visualise the emotional and social networks that define belonging. The faces I draw are more than representations; they are extensions of my own sense of self, reminders that who I am is inseparable from the lives and relationships that surround me.
List of works (From Left to Right):
1. "Zoya, Cherie, Rebecca and Ivy" 2025, marker on paper
2. "Jason and Jaime" 2025, marker on paper
3. "Lolo, Lola and Mom" 2025, marker on paper
4. "Papa and Nanna" 2025, marker on paper
The Exhibition
Elam Graduates Show 2025
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