Art series highlights remittance legacy

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This article was published 05/07/2021 (1786 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A West End artist is using his latest series to explore his family’s long history of sending remittance back to the Philippines.

Charles Romero Venzon’s mother, Vida, immigrated to Canada from the Philippines in 1972 and was joined by her husband two years later. Vida worked as a sewing machine operator in both countries, but the job was more challenging in Canada since she had to work with heavier and stiffer materials, Venzon explained.

“The stories are quite fascinating to me, they’re kind of like a living time capsule of what it was like then and how hard that must have been for her,” he said. “And so I want to honour that.”

Balikbayan Box – The Remittance Project is a print media series inspired by Venzon’s mother, who, since moving to Canada, has been sending packages (balikbayan boxes) of non-perishable household items as a form of remittance to her relatives living in the Philippines.

For the first piece of the series, Venzon, 45, took a photo of a can of Carnation evaporated milk, multiplied it in Photoshop, and created four 3D-looking balikbayan boxes. The piece is on display at Parlour Coffee (468 Main St.) until Thurs., July 15.

A remittance is a transfer of money or goods from one person to another, meant to provide economic relief or support. Venzon said the low daily wage in the Philippines makes it difficult for parents to support their families.

“It’s very hard to make a living and it’s hard to put food on the table. So this act of remittance needs to continue,” he said.

“I felt that this work, if anything, is a way for us to — as a community — talk about that and create space for these types of discussions.”

As a Canada-born Filipino, Venzon said he doesn’t have the same familial connections as his mother, and is concerned about what that means for the future of remittance.

“I don’t have those ties to the Philippines anymore and that might end with my mother’s generation.”

Venzon recently started a remittance fund and is planning to give the money he earned through the sale of his artwork to his cousin, Linlyn, who owns a store in Manila, Philippines, and has been struggling to keep the shelves stocked.

The artist, who’s a graduate of the University of Manitoba, School of Art, said he’s trying to figure out how to continue remittance but admits he feels stuck finding a solution.

“It’s not clear to me and I think that maybe is why I’m making the work too,” Venzon said.

“It’s so ambiguous what my role is, being an artist of Filipino descent, and having this desire to carry on these traditions, but not having any direct contact or relation.”

Visit charlesromerovenzon.com for more information.