A conversation with Girlynne Gascon on art and representation
I had the pleasure of speaking with Girlynne Gascon, an emerging visual artist and a Filipino immigrant who moved to Canada in 2010. I was curious about her artmaking process and how her cultural identity informs her work.
Gascon’s work has been featured in Wander magazine, and Gascon herself participates in fundraisers and art fairs. Just recently, she hosted ‘Filipino Flores De Mayo Storytime’ at the Regina Public Library’s Sunrise Branch.
What was your drive behind this storytime?
My manager and I were talking about how we haven’t really featured the Filipino community, and there’s a lot of Filipinos in Regina. I told her, if you’re thinking about a Spring event, we have Flores De Mayo. I want to tell Filipinos in Regina that we have something for you.
I work at the library, and I want to welcome my own community here! Especially for kids who grew up here – I want to show them how we celebrate festivals. I had the vision to do a fiesta, an authentic display like a little sari sari store and I wanted to showcase a Filipino author for the storytime.
How does your location back in the Philippines play into your vision for this event?
We were located in the province of La Union, we lived in the mountains and it is a very community-based town. Flores De Mayo is celebrated all throughout the Philippines. I think it’s the perfect celebration to have. It doesn’t matter where you are because you know what this is.
During the event, I overheard the parents tell their kids that this is what we have back home, while showing their kids the sari sari store that I set up. They were reminiscing, and that was a special moment for me. I got my vision through.
Looking at your artworks, such as Liwanag ng Buwan and Takipsilim, does being Filipino or an immigrant inform your practice? Does this naturally manifest into your work?
It took me a bit to find my footing in making my art. Recently, I want to explore my cultural identity by basing my images in nostalgia and on my childhood experiences. I just want to share my narrative – to say this is what life is, and this is the beauty of our country. We’re more than just lumpia and pancit; there’s more beyond that in being Filipino, and I want to share those nuances.
Like [in those said artworks], sure, it’s a moon and sun reference, but I lived where there’s so much greenery, mountains, and you can hear the animals. I wanted to incorporate that into my practice, but in what way do I make it a story, make it interesting, or a conversation starter?
You recently went back home for a visit, did this change anything in your art process?
Yes, very heavily. Last year, my granddad passed, and a lot of my memories were of being at the farm with him. Now, I want to preserve these memories. After that, I started working on projects that are reminiscent of my memories with my granddad and my other relatives.
When I went there, I was taking reference pictures, and thinking about how I can incorporate it into my practice. At the moment, I’m working on a series that is based on my experiences back home. Now, I want to dedicate my art to sharing my narrative and theirs to the people in the prairies!
To name a few, you’ve been involved with events like Back Alley Art Market, Sunshine Arts Festival, Cathedral Village Arts Festival, and silent auctions. How important is it for you that your work is present in these spaces?
I’m imagining myself when I just came here. I didn’t see art from artists of colour. I need representation. I need someone to show that even people of colour belong in the galleries!
It took me a while to find Filipino artists in Regina to connect with because I don’t see them. Where are we in the picture? In the art scene? It took me years to connect. I’m very proud that I can say that I’ve been in these galleries. If an artist of colour can see this, I can say that I can make a mark in the prairie landscape.
Have you noticed a shift in the usual target demographic of art galleries/festivals when you or other POC artists are leading them?
Oh, for sure! Lately, I’m seeing more people of colour in the galleries. It’s still a work in progress, we need more representation for sure. But I started seeing a shift, for example, the program Building Arts Equity – which I’m in. They’re giving grants to artists of colour to make art or be under a mentorship. It helps us be in the scene. I’m connecting to more artists of colour and younger artists in the city, and we’re making a mark.
What does your path to decolonizing the arts look like?
It’s something that I’m still exploring. I’m trying to find other artists of colour to ask them about their stories. By exchanging stories is how I want to make a mark in the scene.
We’re beyond the narrative that they give us, let us show our stories! I’m trying to find people to collaborate with and unchain these expected notions of us.
Any advice to Filipinos and other creatives out there?
You just put yourself and your story out there. It took me a bit to show myself out there, because I’m not even a Fine Arts graduate since I was in Psychology. I did not feel validated. But by talking to people and showing my art, I saw that people can recognize and relate to it. Just put it out there!
As a Filipino creative, listening to Gascon’s busy year as a new artist in Regina greatly warms my heart. It is a reminder that artists of colour are actively working to carve a space in the local art scene to proudly represent where they come from. Gascon’s dedication to integrating her cultural identity into her craft is admirable and will surely leave a lasting impression on people of all backgrounds.
