Gearing up for “Our Voices: A Portrait Series”, a Filipino Canadian Art Exhibit

Toronto, Ontario – Let the voices of a community united in resistance be heard as the Maleta (Suitcase) Project continues its journey through a community-based art exhibit titled, ‘Our Voices: A Portrait Series’.  This exhibit serves as a medium to express the progressive Filipino Canadian community’s collective will to help advance the working class struggle for social change. The exhibit will be held at Beit Zatoun on May 31st and June 1st.

‘Our Voices: A Portrait Series’ features previous art pieces from the Maleta Project, particularly, the Maleta

[Suitcase] Family , the Kapit Bisig Maletas [Link-Arm-Suitcases] and four new pieces that speak to the challenges and barriers the community face in Canada, as well as its aspirations for a better future.  “Our future as a racialised and working class community is put at risk given the current age of austerity where workers’ rights and livelihoods are continually assaulted by the neoliberal agenda.” states Lydia Vamvouras, a member of PWC-ON.

The art pieces capture the realities of the Filipino Canadian community in these times where cutbacks to public services, the ongoing contractualization of jobs and the rapid expansion of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program are becoming more pronounced.  These factors create a highly disposable and exploited work force which leaves all workers, especially, women, racialised and transnational/migrant workers in a state of vulnerability.

“As these assaults on our community intensify, so must our resistance. By drawing out shared stories and narratives from our community, we create art that affirms and validates our lived experiences so we can empower each other and the rest of the community to move our struggles forward” adds Vamvouras.

‘Our Voices: A Portrait Series’ is spearheaded by the Philippine Women Centre of Ontario in collaboration with the Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance of Ontario and SIKLAB-Ontario.

“Our Voices: A Portrait Series”
Art Exhibit at Beit Zatoun
612 Markham Street
Toronto, Ontario
May 31st – 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
June 1st – 12 PM – 5 PM
This event is free

For more information, please contact
Bryan Taguba or Charie Siddayao
(416) 519-2553
www.magkaisacentre.org
Email: ukpc-on@magkaisacentre.org
Facebook: Ugnayan Ontario
Twitter: @ugnayanontario