sando
by Khim Mata Hipol
bachelor of fine arts, photography major
Fourth Year | Graduation year: 2023
Khim Mata Hipol, sando, from the Alaala nila Lola (Memories of Grandmothers) series, 2022. Archival inkjet print, 50.08 x 40.64 cm. (Image courtesy the artist)
(L to R): kamay sa lupa, sando, untitled, lace and litrato ni lola (installation view). By Khim Mata Hipol, from the Alaala nila Lola (Memories of Grandmothers) series, 2022. Archival inkjet prints. (Images courtesy Khim Mata Hipol)
Khim Mata Hipol. (Image courtesy Khim Mata Hipol)
About the Artist
Khim Mata Hipol (b. 1999, Bauang La Union, Philippines) lives and works in North Vancouver, BC.
He is a graduate of Certificate of Photography (2019) and Bachelor of
Fine Arts Major with Photography and Minor in Art and Text (2023), both
from Emily Carr University of Art and Design.
Hipol is a recipient of the Audain Travel Award (2022) and was long-listed for the Lind Prize (2022). He has shared his works in group shows at The Center of Fine Arts Photography, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA (2022), Calgary (2022 and 2023) and Vancouver.
ABOUT THE ARTWORK
Sa alaala Nila Lola (in memories of grandmothers)
An open wound often leaves great pain in a person. This series of images, "Sa Alaala nila Lola (in memories of grandmothers), is a series of photographic images that heal an open wound of losing loved ones. Through photographic medium--staging and recreation proving the photograph's power as evidence of existence. Though it may have lost some senses, it still holds the memories that others can hold on to. Hipol revisits his memories of his grandmothers, one whom he grew up with and one whose distant away. He grounds himself on the soil where his grandmothers are now. The soil stands the ground of roots and growth, and this forms reconnection. So far from the geographical location, Hipol reconnects his memories through practices and gestures he had interacted with his grandmothers. For example, Hipol wears a floral dress like Grandmother Clarita and a shirt from her Grandmother Lourdes. He hopes to use these images to reflect on his relationship with his grandmothers and conceal the wound of not having a proper farewell to them before they passed away.