JAMES BULOSAN look at me now (2024)

JAMES BULOSAN
look at me now (2024)
Stoneware vessel, knives, barong fabric, and gold mirror
12” x 12” x 12”
$850

ARTIST STATEMENT:
look at me now contemplates the myth of the barong while playing with the inherent symbology of the garment.  According to the myth, Spanish colonizers forced our ancestors to wear the barong “transparently without pockets and untucked to prevent thievery and concealing weapons.”  It inherently became a dress code of oppression. Today, the barong has been reclaimed and is now a symbol of nationalist pride being worn in formal social gatherings. In playing with the duality of the symbol itself, this piece looks to reimagine the contrasting elements of the ingrained archetypes the barong carries. From subordinate to strength, from exposure to protection, from contempt to respect – look at me now works to uncover and contemplate the complicated symbols that the barong carries and provide intersections to explore for the people it now adorns.

ARTIST BIO:
James Bulosan is a multifaceted artist whose creative journey has been marked by a deep exploration of art and its intersection with psychology, community engagement, and the dynamics of human expression. With a rich educational background and a diverse range of professional experiences, he seeks to explore the human experience, fostering community, and pushing the boundaries of art’s therapeutic potential. Through his professional beginnings as a Research Director at Rush Medical Center to Director of an expressive therapy program at a small community hospital on the west side of Chicago and from teaching at SAIC and at Benedictine University, he seeks to show a rounded viewpoint that looks to include the many roles we carry in life. James builds on this idea through his role as co-director of Lion VS Gorilla, a curatorial concept focused on creating shows where artists and viewers are collaborators in an aesthetic experience, and where the integration between artists and the larger community is promoted. All together James Bulosan’s work looks to transcend traditional artistic boundaries and invite viewers to engage with profound narratives and experiences.