Francis Olvez-Wilshaw

My work examines the complexities of my mixed heritage and identity. I have been investigating the consequences of an overexposed Western influence (rooted in a rural working class Englishness) in my upbringing and outlook at the expense of the other half- a provincial Filipino one. In the work, I look at my mixed heritage as a source of power and absence. I utilise Western conventions in portraiture, costume and sets to create photographs that reference a dramatic European regal composition and rationalism.

My personal relationships with my mothers’ side of the family are a source of regret and mystery. Due to our limited contact and difficulty in communication, my idea of who my grandparents were, are formed through stories told to me by my own mother. Their histories and character were relayed to me through anecdotes and whatever I could draw from our few encounters. The project works as an invention of a family legend. A Filipino/English Fantasy Realism.

(Important to note the radical change in direction my practice took, after I came back from Texas last December. My practice and the subsequent major project were largely influenced by the passing away of my Filipino grandad whilst I was in Texas)