Roldan’s practice is steeped in critique on socio-political events that have shaped Philippines, such as the long shadow of colonial rule. The image here is borrowed from Dutch photographer Francisco van Camp’s 1875 Portrait of a Filipina. These were portraits that captured women of both Spanish and Filipino ethnicity, where the term mestiza refers to a lady of mixed ethnicity. On the right, the text describes a tropical landscape suggestive of the Philippines, and the sensuous woman, a Filipina. Yet the words come from a prose poem, Dama Huasteca, by Mexican poet Octavio Paz. For Roldan, Paz may have unwittingly described a country which resembles the Philippines. Although Mestiza (2) is painted with oil and acrylic on canvas, interestingly, Roldan does not consider it as a painting, but rather, a “mash-up of various visual media”.Norberto “Peewee” Roldan (b. 1953, Roxas City, Philippines) is a multi-media artist and curator. Working with materials drawn from everyday life, Roldan deals with contemporary issues informed by history and collective memory. He is based in Manila and Roxas, Philippines.
