“ALTAR OF REMEMBRANCE”

Honoring the women that set the foundations of love and care within my matrilineal roots.

This altar memorializes the time spent in service for my Lola and mother, during their most vulnerable hours. For 11 years, my mother dedicated her life to caregiving for my Lola after she suffered from a stroke and began to develop dementia until her passing. Toward the end of Lola’s time, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and I took on the role of caregiver for her. I learned shortly after that Lola was a caregiver her entire life leading up to her stroke: from caring for my Lolo’s mother on her death bed, to his young siblings after they were left motherless, then her children, grandchildren, and while working at a hospital until way past her “retirement.” It's through the lens of caregiving that I re-member and carry forward the legacy of my lineage as a Filipina.

Using relics of the past and present, the altar offers a space of remembrance for myself and those who would like to extend a prayer of gratitude for their own matrilineal line.

exhibited at:
Twin Pines Art Center Women’s View Exhibition, 2026