@liora
Liora H
@liora · 2:35

Let's Talk About: Atlanta and Rebellious Art with Therese Santiago

article image placeholderSelf Portrait 4
And she includes a series of photos she created while processing her emotions. Around all of this, the images reflect her mindset as well as how hate distorts perception. I really loved reading this piece, and I think that there's a lot to talk about here. I want to thank you, Teresa, for taking the time to talk to me on here. Welcome to Swell. I really love this article. I can't say that enough

https://s.swell.life/SSSltrYdVkZ1Ry6 Today I'm talking to @therese, writer & photographer, about March 16

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@therese
Therese Anne Santiago
@therese · 3:32
As an Asian person living in this world, and my decision to write this piece and to take these photos and share them is, in my opinion, an act of resistance against the white supremacist state we live in, and an act of subversion against the misogynistic world we live in as well
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@liora
Liora H
@liora · 2:21
And I think this work is absolutely an act of rebellion simply because of its raw bravery and honesty. As you aptly said, I think all artists and poets should strive for this in their work. Furthermore, I think it's really beautiful that you were able to take the feelings that came up for you after this horrible event and turn them into something creative and impactful. I think creations like this have the potential to alter perspective and in my mind, changing perspective is the key to long term change
@therese
Therese Anne Santiago
@therese · 4:53
And so it's just hopeless and helpless grief all throughout that day, as I really grappled with that, knowing that the demographic that was being targeted was Asian woman, an Asian woman who resembled people I love and who were just at as high of a risk depending on where they were and what their socioeconomic class was
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@therese
Therese Anne Santiago
@therese · 2:16
But I will say that I did really struggle with this piece because I'm not used to centering myself in my narrative and my face in the images and stories I create. So to process all of this while also putting myself in the spotlight in some ways was a very jarring experience for me, and something I hadn't really explored before
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@liora
Liora H
@liora · 4:10
I also think it's interesting that you don't usually center yourself in the things you create. And yet honestly, I never would have gotten that impression from seeing this work. And I think it's really amazing that you did step out of your comfort zone while creating this
@therese
Therese Anne Santiago
@therese · 3:52
But I think from that point on, I've been trying to think more intentionally about how my photography can do more than just take a set of photos. But how can it tell a story? How can it continue to share our cultural legacy, and how can it open doors for other Filipino people to share their art as well? So that's really how my identity comes through and how I hope it will come through for the rest of my artistic endeavors?
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@Swell
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15

Welcome to Swell!

@therese
Therese Anne Santiago
@therese · 1:00
And every time I read that line, it is just so stunning. And it just really makes me believe in the reclamatory power of art. So very grateful to him and to other artists whose work has been really uplifting not just now, but since I started reading poetry more and reading more writing from other Asian artists, artists
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@liora
Liora H
@liora · 2:49
I really love that you're exploring how you said photography can be used to memorialize your identities and how your very existence is an act of resistance against white supremacy
@therese
Therese Anne Santiago
@therese · 4:05
And so I think that's where art comes in because it's one thing to just tell people. Well, this is not isolated. This is happening because of American imperialism in Asia. This is happening because of colonialism and things like that. It's easier for us to communicate that and to captivate more people into understanding how this is all part of a lineage of white supremacy that's existed for centuries
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@liora
Liora H
@liora · 3:42

Thank you @therese !

But if I'm coming at this from a future educator, then I think it's also important for people to be well educated in that they're fully informed about our past and how it has affected people of a variety of races and backgrounds. In my mind, the history curriculum should enable people to be fully informed and have all the knowledge they need to understand our current social context in the context of things that have happened in the past and how they still affect people today
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