MIGUEL (he/him)
As a second-generation Filipinx-Canadian immigrant, and having grown up in the diverse city of Toronto, Miguel has been constantly exposed to a variety of cultures and nationalities. However, this also has resulted in confusion as he journeys through a never-ending process of self-identification. Through his studies, he seeks to confront the experience of having grown up with such uncertainty, and pinpoint the influential factors in his background that have resulted in who he is today. Miguel is interested in the intersection of his Filipinx-Canadian identity and queerness, and seeks to reconceptualize the precarious position of a queer immigrant with religious influences as he undergoes a process of unraveling and self-realization. After four years in Montreal, gender identity has become a subject he has contemplated a great deal, having been influenced by a diverse community of queer individuals in this vibrant city. Here, Miguel has found a love for dance and music, and the collective catharsis that's achieved within a pitch-black space where only the relentless beats and blaring basslines of music can be heard. He believes his love for these inclusive spaces, as well as his desire for collective unity, can be interpreted as a value of his: “an indifference to the qualities that may divide us; and a focus on what makes us one.”
What inspires you the most from your practice?
The people that I surround myself with complement and inspire my practice the most. While I do believe uniqueness and individuality are crucial to art’s authenticity, the synthesis of ideas and experiences from those you deem valuable can result in a product that is authentically oneself. I am not only myself, but I am also those around me. I think it's only necessary to pay tribute to those who have influenced me as I present a reflection of myself through art.
Photos by and/or for Little Burgundy, Wild Grace by Lian Benoit, Julien Grimard