Kolonya

This series of images serves as documentation of performative colonialism. With the advent of photographic technology, the burgeoning medium was soon employed by Western governments as colonial tool. Due to the early perception of photograph as objective truth, resultant images were utilized to warp reality, subjugate, other, and lay claim to indigenous lands under the guise of Western superiority. Tropes were developed and existing ones were reinforced, including the planting of a flag to signify the conquering of a particular region. In Kolonya, I embody the absurdity of this practice, along with the idea of "discovering" a country that has been occupied for thousands of years. On my own colonial expedition across Europe, I brandish the national flag of the Philippines, which was designed by Emilio Aguinaldo upon the declaration of Filipino independence from Spain (prior the the outlawing of the display of this flag by American occupying forces for 11 years), across sweeping vistas, chateau ruins, hilltops, hotel rooms, trains, and playgrounds, and even in front of the Royal Palace of Madrid to lay claim in the name of my family's homeland of the Philippines, inviting those in these public spaces to engage with me in dialogue surrounding colonial legacy.