These two portraits is from a body of work titled ‘Kwentong Bangkero’ (Tales of Fisherman) a series of charcoal drawings and video interviews of traditional Filipino fishermen from Aklan, Philippines.

For an island-people historically so close to the ocean, the majority of Filipinos in NSW have settled around Blacktown, two hours’ commute from the prized coastlines of Sydney. As a Filipino-Australian I was not only geographically distant from the beautiful beaches of Sydney, but I also felt culturally distant from the surfing and beach culture that seemed so integral to contemporary Australian identity.

In this series of work, I set out to explore the conflicting realities experienced by many within the Filipino diaspora of Western Sydney. Namely, the contradiction of an island people so distant and removed from the ocean waves that shaped its traditional culture. The concept is particularly poignant for me because my late grandfather was an avid diver and spear-fisherman, yet that part of my family identity was something that I never had a chance to cultivate or access growing up.