Isadara Bulaklak

Mga Bangka ng Kayamanan (Ships of Fortune) II

This is the second piece in the Mga Bangka ng Kayamanan series. This work is a reflection of the labour and resources needed to create and maintain an expansive trade network that spanned the globe- axes on trees hint at the lumber needed to create each ship, plants for the fibers needed for rope for the rigging dot the background and a field of cotton alludes to the sails. Meanwhile, a ship in the progress of being built is also seen. Native workers are seen in the environment but are painted over in white, representing their unseen labour.

“My work is an exploration of movement of resources and how it reflects my ties to Filipinx history and culture as part of the diaspora. Collages on cardboard reminiscent of balikbayan boxes depict scenes evoking the Manila galleon trade network, examining the legacy left behind by the Spanish empire.”