The Filipino in Me - Insights into Living Heritage
Entry by Jimuel Belarmino. Weyburn, Saskatchewan
Transition
2018
5 ft x 4 ft
Oil on Canvas
Artist's Statement
"Transition" is based on a Filipino proverb "Ang hindi marunong tumingin sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan (translation: One who doesn't look back from where he came from, won't reach one's destination) which is common to the ear of many Filipinos. This painting is a visual representation of the transition immigrants had to make displacing from one country to another. The figure on a staircase, wearing Filipino contemporary traditional clothes, looking back while holding on the railing is a representational connotation of not just Filipinos, but, many immigrants across the globe, making their way in a "new world" whilst carrying their original identity and bracing themselves from the unknown, fear, doubts and the likes.
About the Artist
Belarmino is a Filipino-born Canadian artist based in Saskatchewan. His paintings are inspired by his Filipino upbringing juxtaposed with his immigrant life in Canada. In 2011, he moved to Canada from the Philippines at the age of 14 with his family. In 2019, he successfully earned his BFA degree at the University of Regina and worked as an intern at the Art Gallery of Swift Current. After finishing university, he participated in several exhibitions both provincial and national. Storytelling, culture and identity are common themes manifested in his subjects. He was awarded the 2019 BMO 1st Art! at the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Toronto, ON, Art Placement Award for Accomplishments in the Medium of Oil Paint at the Mann Art Gallery in Prince Albert, SK and an Independent Artist Program for Emerging Artists grant award funded by SK Arts. It was a huge boost in his career. Currently, he is working on a new body of work for a solo exhibition in 2023.
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