Landscapes of Diaspora
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Janine Barrera
“Diaspora” (pronounced Di-as-po-ra) refers to the dispersion or spread of a people from their original homeland either in waves of immigration or individually, usually in order to escape a threat or for employment opportunities. The dream is to search for a better life, one that cannot be achieved in one’s home country.
Some people travel with culture as their only piece of personal luggage, which creates an environment for genuine compromise and conciliation, fosters tolerance of diverse cultures within communities, and prepares one to contribute both artistically and economically within the global society.
For Janine Barrera, as a young artist in the Philippines who had gained recognition through major awards as a student and arts practitioner, the opportunity to study in the United States to further her art education put her on the first step towards becoming a part of this “diaspora.” Her education in the US allowed her to hone the skills and knowledge she had acquired at UP Fine Arts, and especially as one of the favorite mentees of the late Dean Martino Abellana. His tutelage inspired Barrera’s work in ways she has always been cognizant about. Having a strong base of portraiture like her mentor, her US education allowed Barrera to explore and become confident in her own style of landscapes and abstract work.
The choice to stay in the US instead of returning to Cebu was a simple one for her, as she had married and started a family here. That her husband is also Filipino perhaps influences Barrera in her works.
To the viewer, her strong works with “diaspora” as the theme may be interpreted as her angst over being away from home. On the contrary, once you know the artist and the subjects of her work, you see a stillness, a confidence, a calmness - almost a sense of gratitude, really, knowing that while indeed there is “no place like home,” her home by choice is the US. She paints with a love for US nature with a slight Philippine touch, and a seeming gratitude for having a long career as a studio artist. Barrera confidently paints like a Filipina with international aesthetic; or perhaps, like a global citizen with Philippine aesthetic.
Barrera says, “As a Filipino living in diaspora, the strange new landscape was a constant source of both joy and pain as I navigated through the everyday practices and complex dynamics of integration, as I tried to carve out a “home" and a sense of “belonging,” far away from what was once familiar and held dear.”
The exhibition formally opens on 15 February 2023 at Qube Contemporary, Design Center of Cebu at 4 to 7 p.m.
