Milagros’ Last Dream
2023
Resin, Tin Metal, Paper, Palm Leaf
8’ x 5’ x 8’
In memory of my mother, who sadly passed away alone in hospice during the pandemic, I created Milagros' Last Dream. This artwork depicts my mother's last moments, where she is surrounded by her loved ones, ancestors, and the Brown Madonna in a peaceful dream. It is my way of giving her the proper "Buena Muerte" (a good death) that COVID-19 had unfortunately denied her.
The centerpiece is a 10" x 4" painting on tin metal, which shows my mother in a peaceful sleep. This painting follows the 19th-century Filipino tradition of "Recuerdos de Patay," or death portraits.
The artwork also features woven palm leaf birds from the Philippines, which symbolize the souls of my ancestors. My mother believed that the dead visited the living in the form of birds.
In addition, there are paper roses that my mother had crafted when she was still alive, hanging from the ceiling, arranged as if falling from the sky. Roses were her favorite flower, and my father would get them for her on special occasions. During his funeral, she carried a bouquet of them.
Finally, six resin birds carrying figures complete the installation. These figures represent my siblings, me, and my deceased father. In this installation, my family is once again whole, defying death and physical separation and rendering my family complete.
