Liberation Works.
Liberation Works is a collection of artwork that I created between 2017 and 2019 as I, Fornesus, had begun to unravel my understanding of racialization, as well as transforming the meaning of my queer and uatistic identities, and how these have all impacted my lived experiences as an individual.
49.
This abstract piece was created in 2017 in dedication of the 49 Black and brown queer people who were killed at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida when 49 souls were lost forever due to the functions of colonial radicalism and mentality that had brainwashed the mind of the perpetrator.
Erasure.
In Western society and in the global context, the histories and contributions put forth by people of color have historically been devalued and our narratives either being stolen or removed from the inherent value of our identities. When assigning value to our identities is dismissed as "identity politics", this is theft, a theft of our histories, our narratives, and our very humanity. Above all, this theft amounts to erasure.
Freedom.
Most people lie and say that they can define what it is but, in reality, they do not know or understand its value and they may never be able to do so. Freedom requires the prerequisite of liberation, something that so many people can never understand due to the constraints of the systems that they fight, so much, to uphold, even when its very core is the antithesis of their souls and their self-belief.
Pagmamahal.
Love is about the most controversial concept of our times. Who you can love, who is allowed to love, how love can be expressed, and how love has limits all point to the most fundamental questions of our time: those which deal with bodily autonomy, self-determination and the very value of our humanity and emotions. Love is both the ultimate act and overrated, it is simultaneously what holds us together as a human family and a political tool used too often to ostracize those who we view as being unworthy of it. Nevertheless, the concept of Pagmamahal is in line with Kapamiliya in the sense that kinship is the ultimate form of community, one that can be had regardless of familial lineage, relatability, identity, and the like. Pagmamahal, as love, is simply the manifestation of kinship.
Signature.
Identity is rooted in your personal reality, your personal history, and that of your ancestors. To use Baybayin script is to be more attuned with the customs of my ancestors and with the intent that they had with their practices. My signature is the culmination of these things, of who I am and where I came from.
Spirits.
The souls and spirits of the predecessors watch over my existence and being as if to guide me in this journey of life. They understand why my connection to them is superficial at most and know what I have had to overcome in the short amount of time that I have had to live my life, thus far. The spirits lift me up to realize that my capacity is greater than I can ever imagine and that my impact can be as well. The spirits also enable me to view myself in multiple perspectives, as this is the unlimited capacity that we all deserve to live with.
