Tonight, it was off to the relatives on my father's side for some partying. Before getting there, we went to the Filipino exhibit at the Asian Art Museum. The exhibit was titled Pioneers of Philippine Art.
Twenty five years ago, as I began studying and questioning America my new homeland, I came upon the question of identity. How do I place myself in this new land. I of course wanted to prove that a Filipino was just as good as anyone born in the United States. I thought that I could reach that equality by going to the museum to see all the Filipino things there. But in Los Angeles of the 1980's, there was nothing Filipino being exhibited.
This led me to begin questioning the validity of Philippine achievements. In my young mind, the lack of Philippine representation in the museum showed that the Filipinos were backward and not worthy of anything. Colonial mentality was forged by my very own mind.
It is with great pleasure to say that twenty-five years later, I finally went to a major exhibit in which the subject was Filipinos.
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