Identity
The art of 12gonzaga
My art revolves around vulnerable experiences. These pieces are takes on my experiences and identity as a Filipino-American woman in everyday life as well as in Idaho. I’ve touched on the subtle racism I’ve experienced, sexualization, loss and suppression of identity, and the exploration of Filipino mythology. I hope to explore even more topics, and through these works to develop a better relationship with my racial identity.
My racial identity is something that is always been thrown in my face but at the same time I feel like I know nothing about. There are people that see me as an “exotic” woman, when I’ve grown up around White-Americans for nearly all of my life that I can't see myself that way. My story as an immigrant's child is much like others - we've only been raised in American culture so to not face the hardships that our parents did when they first moved here. My mother did not teach me Tagalog, or her dialect Kapampangan. She hardly taught me any other parts of Filipino culture. I was raised as a normal, American citizen. Yet still there are those who look at me and ask "Where are you from?" After a while, I got lost in my own identity. It's as if I'm not "White" enough to fit in here, I'm not "Filipino" enough to fit in there. Finding the balance between these two cultures is difficult, there is a disconnect on both ends.
Through my artwork, I try to navigate and reclaim my own identity. I put my own image into my work, and in that way I don't diminish myself. This process of inputting my image has been a valuable experience in discovering feelings about myself. I feel capable in connecting the two halves of myself in the work I create. I'm able to connect the half of myself that has learned art through American culture, and the other half of myself that learns art (among other things) from my Philippine roots. Through my artistic process, I'm able to create works that define my journey as a Filipino-American woman and learn to not be at odds with who I am. ■
December Gonzaga is a Boise-based artist. She favors creating art digitally over other mediums, however for traditional media she prefers ink and graphite. She received a formal education at the College of Western Idaho for Studio Art. Her artworks are heavily emotion-based, and sometimes describe personal experiences of her own as lessons in love, loneliness, and her identity. She aims to convey that emotional vulnerability in the most effective way that everyone can relate to. For more of her work, follow her on Instagram @12gonzaga.
