KRISTINA CORRE

Balikbayans

Balikbayans by Kristina Corre 2017; mixed-media collage: original photographs, thread, found objects 40 x 50 cm Balikbayans belongs to a series called Arrivants. This series marks my first explorations into the stories and characters of my ancestry and the Filipinx diaspora. “Arrivants” is a term photo-based artist Jin-me Yoon used in a talk about her experience as a Korean-born Canadian, and the identity she formed after arriving on this land. In Arrivants, to arrive is to declare one’s identity, to take into account what one has brought with them, and to consider the possible futures. Balikbayans in particular, refers both to Filipinos visiting or repatriating the homeland, and also to the cardboard freight-sized care packages sent home from away.