The Multifaceted Experience of Jacob Wachal’s MFA Thesis Exhibition
Being of Filipino descent, Jacob Wachal takes pride in his heritage and ancestors. “Handumanan sa Pamilya” or “memories of family” is the title of his MFA thesis exhibition. Exploring the meaning of generational memory and the conversation of colonization’s historical influence, this thesis shares his family’s recreated moments and memories in stunning prints using old photographic processes. Composed of two rooms, each having a familiar sense of home with them. Within the first space, there’s a family room set up consisting of a couch, coffee table, and a television showing videos of Jacob interviewing his family that recalls back to old family videos, this gives the sense of home and nostalgia using what is presumed family heirlooms. The wall directly to the right is filled with 36 postcards some with writing but most are images of Jacob in different places holding the Filipino flag. This reads as a reversal of colonization, it’s a direct flashback to pictures of colonization within the Philippines and the conversations around that. The writing on 8 of the postcards is written in his family’s native language.
The second room consisted of bigger prints showcasing certain memories and settings that all hit close to home. He worked with his elders to interpret and portray their upbringings and childhood in Cebu through recreation in South Carolina. There’s a conversation in these images about the consequences of colonialism and how through generations it affects people today. Recalling the past is also apparent in the process that he used to create each print. All the 16”x20” prints are made of 4-color gum bichromate, an alternative photographic process. By using this process, it echoes back to Photo-Secessionist and Pictorialist movements.
Tanday is one of the images that particularly showcase memory and nostalgia. The blue sheeted, unmade bed leaves the viewer remembering an early morning sun peaking in before meeting family outside the door in one of the many rooms of the house. The hint of culture also adds a layer of nostalgia and insight to the family, this is seen with the images framed above the bed, as well as the vase on the left corner of the headboard. This image combines past and present through that same image framed above and the modern-day coral and beach-themed sheets. Tanday sat at the end of the line of images before moving on to the next wall with different process prints.
Jacob Wachal covers all the bases including an emotional, raw and personal family album to make sure the prints and process he uses are historically relevant. Overall, when you stepped into the spaces you experience the life of Jacob Wachal and his family. This exhibition was on view at Cleo the Gallery’s new space, located at 915 B Montgomery Street, from June 1st to June 7th, 2023.
