“Pick, pack and push!” my mother would say, guiding us in the art of Kamayan. She would prepare small mounds of rice on the plate to help us begin.

In this latest series of paintings, I am exploring the intersection of food, history and identity through a personal lens.

Kamayan is a Tagalog word that means "by hand," and it also refers to a traditional communal feast where food is eaten directly with one's hands. This painting explores the duality of symbolism embedded in this practice, reflecting both cultural heritage and the imposed judgments of colonial history.

For centuries, Kamayan was a customary practice in the Philippines, a ritual that connected people to their food and to one another. However, during the periods of Spanish and American colonization, this practice was deemed uncivilized, a marker of primitiveness to be erased in favor of Western norms and eating utensils.

In the background of the painting, I included the “banig” — a woven mat crafted from dyed palm leaves. The banig represents the simplicity and resourcefulness of pre-colonial Philippine homes, which often lacked seating, tables and other modern furniture. Instead, the banig served as a multipurpose mat for eating, sleeping, and daily tasks, embodying the adaptability and ingenuity of our ancestors.

Through this work, I seek to reclaim and celebrate these practices, challenging the colonial narratives that have sought to diminish them. Kamayan isn’t just a way of eating; it is a gesture of resistance, a symbol of identity, and a link to a past that is still very much alive.