3/27/2023 Angelique Santos - The Renaissant of Arts, Activist, Tattoo artists, daughter and moreRead NowAngelique SantosAngelique Santos is a renaissance individual of arts, tattooing, writing and is full of curiosity. Her love and passion for humanity, family and culture are applied within her artistic practice which was truly inspiring to me. We sat down on a humid summer day at the Belcher’s Bay promenade and talked about her unique journey, her background and aspirations to the creative community of womxn that may render creatives lost - but how important it’s okay to feel that way. You were part of our wonderful and very first Creative Womxn in Hong Kong exhibition in late June, but I wanted to chase you down a little bit further and talk to you in person a little bit more. I remember that when I was transcribing your artist biography, I read that your inspiration comes from your background and personal relationships which you hope to bring a sense of “awe” to your viewers. So, I was wondering how does creating “awe” inspire you? My artistic practice has changed a lot over the years. I was comfortable in the beginning, when I strictly stuck to the drawing and painting and that was it. That was what we learned, basically as we were growing up. So, I just stuck to that, and I was really good at it. When I went to the Hong Kong Design Institute, I expanded my practice and explored installation and sculpture during my higher diploma. I learned about how powerful installations can be as it’s different from traditional works. With paintings you can only interact with them face to face, but don’t get me wrong there are still paintings that make me cry. But with installation, one of my pieces “To Mother”, dedicated to my mom was a visual and sound installation and it was very personal. It was two channels and one of it was me interviewing my mum about her life and that particular section is on headphones because it is very intimate and towards the end of the interview, she cried, and it was filmed from my own perspective - so you feel like she is talking to you directly. There is this stereotype in Asian culture where moms like to hoard. They like to keep a lot of stuff in their home and my mom falls into this category. I asked her: “We have so many things in the house- out of all of these things, what are the most important things to you?”. The house is literally filled to the brim with crap. And she just said: “Honestly it is the stuff that your dad has left here since he passed away, the pictures of your dad and his idols”. My dad passed away when I was 4 and my both parents are Catholic. So out of all of this stuff this was the most precious to her. And all of this is in the interview. Every single time she talks about my dad she cries. So, I took this ceremonial tablecloth that we use for special occasions like Christmas or on my dad’s birthday, where she would spread it on the table to make a little memorial for him. So that tablecloth is quite fancy, it is not just a pure white tablecloth, and it means a lot to her. And I asked her if I could borrow it and draw on it. And at first, she said “no way” but when I assured her that I would draw in pencil so it could be washed away easily, she agreed. I did a portrait for her where I was holding a picture of my dad and his idols (Mary, Jesus and Joseph) next to me on this tablecloth. I presented it to her by surprise and put it on the table to show it to her. I filmed it when she saw it for the first time and [she] cried as well. And that was the second channel, projected onto a wall. I can imagine that many people, not only within my culture, might go through a similar thing - growing up with a single mother who worked so hard. And when it comes to an installation setting, I think it is just so much more powerful and does so much more when you are immersed in a particular environment. There is a lot to unpack! I was wondering if you also had a chance to see the difference in your family's Filipino culture who lives in Hong Kong within your schoolmates as well. Have you had a chance to maybe compare similar experiences with other families? Well, growing up as a third culture kid (like a lot of kids in Hong Kong), I moved here when I was 1. I was born in the Philippines but the friends I have today are the same kids I met in kindergarten and at church when I was about 3 years old. I’m very grateful for them, they are amazing and are always so supportive. I know that no matter where we go in the world, we’re always there for each other. Some of my friends have gone overseas already and you know it is hard to keep in contact since there are so many things going on, people grow up and get busy, but when they come back it feels like no time has gone by. And even though we are all from different backgrounds, growing up in a different environment was obviously difficult. But my best friend with whom I got my first tattoo a matching one) when we were 16 - growing up with her was sort of a challenge in a way because she is half English and half Scottish and her lifestyle was very different to mine. In what sense? They were wealthier compared to my family. But I never saw that as a competition in any way, we always supported each other. But sometimes I could not help but feel…. that it was hard. Because when you are growing up, being an angsty teen, you tend to compare yourself to others, you think to yourself “this is so unfair”. But I am so grateful for the life that I have, and you get more perspective when you get older. My mum is an incredible person when it comes to this. She did such a fantastic job - raising me. I was a horrible teenager. Really? How come? I just didn’t appreciate everything she has done. And I think there were so many differences between us because she had me when she was 37 and I am her only child. Her growing up in a traditional Filipino household in the Philippines with 9 other siblings on a farm…. That upbringing was completely opposite to mine. We would just fight all the time. But when I was around 17 years old, we sat down and had a heart-to-heart conversation, we both cried, both swore and cried again and laid it all out… and after that we were completely okay (chuckles). I think it’s just miscommunication, it was difficult to understand each other. I told her everything I’ve done. And she wasn’t happy…? Well, I mean I drink, I smoked from an early age. But - isn’t that all of us? She did not do that. That’s why it was so hard. She didn’t go to sleepovers because she had a huge family. She was very strict, never smoked anything and she barely drinks, and is very religious. So, we just decided that we are not going to talk about that. That is also a solution. But it is such a journey of growth and understanding each other as two completely different generations. What was her initial reaction when you started to make your art pieces despite the differences you both had? Well, since high school I have always had trouble figuring out what I want to do. My dad was a journalist for the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong - he was the editor. I always loved English, loved to read and write. So, I thought that maybe I’d do journalism like him. For my A-levels I took English Literature, History and Art. But it was the art I fell in love with. I had the coolest teachers. I felt like I was always the teacher’s pet because I genuinely cared, always listened and took notes. I think that those teachers fostered my growth and inspiration to stick to the arts. When I told my mom that I wanted to pursue art - she would see some of my works, but it was still in high school whilst tackling other 6 subjects: they were still quite underdeveloped. And now when you go on Instagram and see some of the works of high school kids doing art - its mind blowing. So, at that time it was still so-so for my mum because I guess she always wanted me to follow my dad’s footsteps - so I took a gap year in order to figure out what the hell I was doing with my life. What happened during your gap year?
I went to Australia! And when I was there, I met up with my long-time friend Chester. He told me that his brother went to art school and ended up being a tattoo artist which he didn’t need his degree for. So that got me thinking whether I even want to go to university because I have a single mother and university is expensive. I came back to Hong Kong and was trying to look for options to become an apprentice at a tattoo studio to see how that would work out. So, I took another gap year (chuckles) to go to work basically - full time and travel and work at the same time to save up for university just in case I wanted to do it. I couldn't afford to go to university yet, but there are other paths that you can take. So, I researched the Higher Diploma offered at Hong Kong Design Institute. Which is not really a university, but I decided to apply to see if I would get in and I did! So, I mean- I just- at that point I was so confused (laughs) - in what I wanted to do. So I told myself that I would do it - because it was so much cheaper. On my first day, everything was taught in Cantonese BUT that’s how I grew up - being in a local school my whole life. So, you speak Cantonese? Yep. But on the first day I was the only foreigner in my whole course. I mean there was also one friend who was Thai however, he was raised locally as well, and his Cantonese was much better than English anyways. But I am the other way because of high school, I think. Everyone looked at me as being this girl with a pierced nose, tattooed arms, being brown, when the teacher was doing an attendance and noticed me, I was the only one with an English name so when she said my name, everyone turned around to look at me and the teacher said, “oh sorry did you want me to speak English?”. And I said no it’s okay (chuckles). And everyone was so surprised that I could speak in Cantonese. So, it wasn’t difficult to make friends. And everyone was actually very nice and since I was paying for school by myself, I decided to work really hard and help my mom. I was such a shitty teenager, I wanted to redeem myself. So I paid my first year, worked my ass off and I think it also HKDI wasn’t my schoolmates first choice or passion, they didn't really care about being there. But I was working so hard, so I actually ended up getting a lot of scholarships that I didn't have to pay for anything since! I was wondering whether all of these layers of your hard work and experience if it somehow shaped your own creative work as well? I haven’t really thought about the process of shaping it per se but it definitely changed my work mentality at school. Because it took me so long to decide what I wanted to do with my life basically (since it’s 4 years of your life, right) and it is a lot of money, time consuming. Taking a gap year and having a job when you are young is very important. You will appreciate the cost of what you are doing. I wasn’t planning to dick around - pardon my French (laughs). I wasn’t going to waste it. All my experiences in my gap year - it did reinforce my work mentality and it was also because of my family and my upbringing. Growing up around here, family is number one. Kids do not move out until they are basically married. My mum has been super understanding when it came to me being more independent. I decided to move out last year, lived alone for a bit and I always thought that I had to grow up very quickly anyway - my mum had to work, and I was at home. I had my grandma that I recently lost. But she also was a huge part of my upbringing. My mum told me how much my grandma has always wanted to talk to me, but she always had to load the English. Oh, so you did not speak Filipino with each other? Not really - I mean I can understand it. I mostly understand thanks to my Hong Kong friends, because they are all half Filipino like me. But a lot of my friends are also English - half Pinoy half English. I have an international accent - it’s not quite American you can’t really place it, but with Asian qualities (laughs). Have you sometimes found yourself stuck in ways to express yourself? I've been having serious art block lately. After my grandma passed, I started to have so many ideas on how to honour her and how to share her story. She could barely speak English and I wanted people to know who she. I had to shrink back for a bit, stayed in my room, was off of my phone and my partner was wonderful. He really supported me and knew I needed some space. Grief is a funny thing. And what is about love that you invited to your life and you placed it into your creativity? It is much easier when you live with someone, and you can practice your skills on them. You have a life model! One of my works for my latest art class was actually him - standing nude in between doors. I always aim for a more realistic painting style. I lean more towards traditional art. At school they teach you that it is not necessary to be realistic. The point of painting is to put your mark on it as a painter and how you express yourself in this work. This is where it clicked for me. Abstract class for me was horrible - I got a B (laughs). But to be able to explore this- you can’t teach yourself- you need professors. University is so worth it and I’d suggest to people who want to start with this is to keep going, you learn so many new pieces of art history you never knew they existed. What surprised you the most in art history? The way women were perceived in art. Women were always depicted in a way that was shameful or inviting. In history, painting, especially paintings of a nude were a very male dominated practice. They wouldn't let women go into nude painting classes. Women were subjected to landscapes and still lifes that weren’t as impressive as the nude at that time. The nude was a mark that an artist has reached their peak if done right. It is so important for us to learn these things so you can be more aware of other paintings and learn from them. That is how my recent self-portrait as a Filipina came to be. I got inspired by Gauguin who went to Tahiti, and he painted Tahitian women - all looking ashamed and subjected to the male gaze. That is why I painted myself with gold earrings like my grandma and this big chunky gold necklace that mimicked the one she has always worn as well. What are your plans for your final university project? My work has always been surrounded by identity and culture. My final year at university has been filled with courses that have prepared me for my Honours project. I have taken economics and history courses that focus on poverty, discrimination which I have referenced in my research for my upcoming community-based art project. My project will be centred around migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong, I need to do more research through the Filipino community here in Hong Kong and how it is perceived because when you say Filipino in Hong Kong, you can't help but think about domestic workers. Even though these workers only have one day off per week and are subject to abuse or overwork, they still have time and willingness to create a sense of community together. There are so many elements to it, it has motivated me to volunteer for the Mission for Migrant Workers so that I can get a better insight and understanding to the individuals within this huge community. It’s hard for me to break through this barrier because I don’t really speak the language and I don’t look particularly Filipina. I know I have to get over my fears because this project means so much to me and I hope it’ll have a positive impact and outcome.
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AuthorAlex Edwards is a founder of Creative Womxn in Hong Kong who has media and journalism background but also experience in art community development and social media management. Archives
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