aina paguergan
ARTIST BIO
aina paguergan is an artist living, working and playing in Mohkinstsis. Their practice looks at how we use tactile methods to explore our disjointed connection to the goods we consume and take for granted. Integral to their practice is the understanding of the importance of the hand in how we navigate the world. Through touch we nurture a deeper relationship and appreciation of our material goods. The unseen hand is a recurring theme throughout their work, an anchor that allows them to expose the laborious processes underlying every material good, but is often secondary to the finished product. These themes of labour and consumption are informed by their background as a first generation Filipino Canadian, and contextualizes choices of imagery.
ABOUT THIS WORK
“As an artist primarily making textile work, my approach to digital collage is supplemental to my fibre practice. I look at layering images and text similar to the additive process of sewing. In creating digital collage I am quilting layers together. These works ruminate on memory, wanting to re-live the past or wanting to linger in the present. I search for belonging in these works, wanting to return to a home I barely remember, while also longing for a place to return to. Throughout both works the imagery of food is strongly present to anchor these tensions to a tangible plane; the bakery that doesn’t exist any more, the candy that has become a part of myself. Both are tactile ways that I make the work palatable in a familiar way.” – aina paguergan
