AIR CALINGO Pinoy Ponyo (2024)

AIR CALINGO
Pinoy Ponyo (2024)
Digital mixed media
12” x 10”
$500

ARTIST STATEMENT:
I am a proud Filipino American who has lived in the United States, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates. In each of these countries, I have met several Filipinos — our conversations leading to discoveries about my culture that I had never known growing up in California. I was raised in a white community where I could literally count the number of Filipino Americans with my two hands. And, just like me, they didn’t know much about our Filipino culture, too, aside from lumpia, pancit, adobo, and a few Tagalog words (mostly the bad ones). But, Hayao Miyazaki films served as the catalyst for forming meaningful friendships with fellow Filipino American peers during my childhood. We would talk excitedly about Miyazaki’s films, from “Ponyo” to “My Neighbor Totoro” to “Princess Mononoke.” My piece reimagines a Philippine landscape through a whimsical lens, reflecting the archetypal joy of the Filipino people.

ARTIST BIO:
Arienne “Air” Calingo serves as Notre Dame Law School’s Marketing Communications Specialist. She is also a contributing writer for The Manila Times and is dedicated to advancing pertinent Filipino and Filipino American issues. She was the first woman EducationUSA Ambassador for the U.S. Embassy in Manila and has given advice to outbound Filipino students, alongside former U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim and consular officers. In 2023, Arienne was selected to serve as a 2023 delegate of the Filipino Young Leaders Program, a joint initiative of the Philippine Embassy, Consulates General in the United States, and the Ayala Foundation. Arienne’s creative works in mixed media, photography, and poetry have been featured in exhibitions at Harvard University, the South Bend Museum of Art, St. Joe County Public Library, and the University of Notre Dame. Arienne seeks to raise awareness of international human rights and social justice issues through her artwork.