Marikit Santiago Tagsibol/tagsabong

Tagsibol/tagsabong is an appropriation of Botticelli’s Primavera. In place of Venus, my mother stands as the central figure with an averted gaze but a confident stance. Surrounded by symbols of overt machismo – Australian and Filipino basketball players brawling, my father as an imagined mythological creature, camo print – she challenges and perpetuates the patriarchy, in a complex dynamic indicative of the experience of womanhood.

The rich imagery applied to a disposable cardboard surface reflects the tensions within my plural identities. This is heightened by a playful collaboration with my two young children, who paint directly on the surface of my paintings, exposing my process as a practising artist and mother.

Marikit Santiago, 2019