Saving Face (2024), draws inspiration from pre-colonial Filipinx death masks and deadfall snare traps. It is a reflection of my lived experience in a society that often whitewashes my culture and identity. Through this piece, I invite viewers to examine societal standards around beauty, age, and privilege—to confront internalized colonial beliefs and reconnect with the power and beauty of our Truth.
Materials: Found rusted metal base plate, brass, steel, vintage farm nails from Salem, encaustics, plastic, mirror with deer antler stand, tourmaline, neodymium magnets, mascara, and lip gloss
Description: Brass metal lips and undereye patches are attached by magnets, allowing them to be removed to reveal the beautiful rawness below.
Rounded eyes and a higher nose bridge are symbols of beauty that my Filipinx culture measured worthiness by. I was told as a young child to pinch the bridge of my nose to make it more prominent. Flat noses were seen as lower class. Dark skin, short lashes, and slanty eyes were looked down on. We had to cut our lashes to make them grow. I grew up being whitewashed into being “perfect”.
How far will we go to measure up to unrealistic and transient beauty trends steeped in archaic colonized and mysoginist ideologies?
What have we all internalized that can be released so that we can embrace truths fully?
