Sophia Garcia

A Letter to my Immigrant Self

As an immigrant, I am always reminded of the Filipino dream: that immigrating to a different country is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Because of this, I have always found myself in silent battles with homesickness and discomfort. This piece serves as an outlet for my repressed feelings toward change. It is a letter written to myself that touches on my struggles with identity, purpose, and family. It serves as an ongoing reminder to grieve for the home I once knew.

Statement

My work explores the process of unraveling memories and identifying our concept of familiarity (or unfamiliarity). As an immigrant, my experiences prompt me to dive deep into the feelings of longing for home, desiring to move away, or a combination of both. I aim to investigate how these feelings emerge and intersect and visually translate them in a narrative and interactive manner. Stories are often the focus of my art, as they are one of the ways in which Filipinos gather and learn from each other. Thus, I ground my practice in my heritage, using symbols and representations from growing up in the Philippines. This inherent connection reveals the inevitable struggles of immigration - evolving identities, outgrowing familiar places, and belonging to an unfamiliar society.

Biography

Sophia Garcia is a budding Filipino artist, curator, and educator based in Calgary, Alberta. Born and raised in the Philippines, Garcia translates her childhood and immigrant experience using visual symbols and language from her Filipino heritage and culture. She draws a community focus in her creative practice, participating in non-profit community organizations and projects, such as art workshops and events, youth programming, and museum work. Garcia aims to provide people with the tools to create art through a storytelling lens. She believes that everyone’s stories deserve to be heard. Garcia is currently completing her BFA and BEd at the University of Calgary. She is also this year’s co-president of the Department of Art and Art History’s curatorial committee, The Pentimento Collective.