Chloe Caday

This work is part of Chloe Caday’s solo exhibition, 'Balikbayan/Returning Home'. Drawing from her personal experiences of migration and motherhood, Caday’s work is centered around the Tagalog word 'balikbayan'; a common term that signifies connection, culture and identity in Filipino communities all over the globe. As a first-generation immigrant, Caday examines the conceptual notion of ‘returning home’, both in the sense of returning to her roots and her country of birth, and as well as returning to her own body and mind following the recent birth of her second child.

The word 'balikbayan' has become an enduring symbol of the Filipino diaspora. It acknowledges the journeys of migration and the shared feeling of being in between two places. For Caday, this floating sense of home is more alienating than not, particularly in her early years where integration and assimilation was a way of being accepted in her community.

In each of the works, Caday tells stories of her deep connection to home – exploring the different landscapes that have shaped and defined her maternal identity. The works are a physical manifestation of Caday’s deep desire to remain connected to her homeland and the myriad experiences of hardship and persistence that she endures.