Bayanihan

Bayanihan is a tribute to co-operation and unity. The image of people carrying a house--a practice rooted in rurl Filipino tradition--symbolizes the power of community in times of transition. It speaks to both literal and metaphorical movement: migration, displacement and home rebuilding across geographies.

The colour palette--teal, pink, yellow, orange, purple and green--draws from both traditional Southeast Asian fabrics and contemporary street aesthetics. These bright, layered tones reflect the vibrancy and resilience of Filipino culture while also representing a contemporary shift: a new generation of Filipinos and Asian Canadians who are reinterpreting heritage through modern lenses. Yellow symbolizes warmth and community; teal represents the vast waters we cross; pink speaks to tenderness and memory; orange invokes energy and transformation; purple signifies spiritual strength; and green connects us to the land we come from and the land we live on now. As someone who has experienced displacement and migration firsthand--from my childhood home in the Philippines to navigating youth homelessness in Calgary--this piece is deeply personal. It is an offering to those who carry each other, who make and remake home with whatever they have. Through this work, I aim to honour the invisible labour of the community and the endurance of the diasporic spirit.

Bayanihan is a tribute to co-operation and unity. The image of people carrying a house--a practice rooted in rurl Filipino tradition--symbolizes the power of community in times of transition. It speaks to both literal and metaphorical movement: migration, displacement and home rebuilding across geographies.

The colour palette--teal, pink, yellow, orange, purple and green--draws from both traditional Southeast Asian fabrics and contemporary street aesthetics. These bright, layered tones reflect the vibrancy and resilience of Filipino culture while also representing a contemporary shift: a new generation of Filipinos and Asian Canadians who are reinterpreting heritage through modern lenses. Yellow symbolizes warmth and community; teal represents the vast waters we cross; pink speaks to tenderness and memory; orange invokes energy and transformation; purple signifies spiritual strength; and green connects us to the land we come from and the land we live on now. As someone who has experienced displacement and migration firsthand--from my childhood home in the Philippines to navigating youth homelessness in Calgary--this piece is deeply personal. It is an offering to those who carry each other, who make and remake home with whatever they have. Through this work, I aim to honour the invisible labour of the community and the endurance of the diasporic spirit.