para sa atin

“Para Sa Atin” / “For Us” is a body of work that emerged out of a desire to create something for the Filipino community in Abu Dhabi, to find belonging and connection in capturing the artist’s own unique and complex experience as a third-generation “Overseas Filipino Worker” (OFW).

Having been born and raised in Abu Dhabi, the artist’s experience as a batang OFW/ “Child of an OFW” is different than that of her sister, who was left in Manila until the age of six. Her experience is different than that of her father, whose father (her grandfather/Lolo) left for seven years, only to return and soon witness her father become an OFW a year or two later.

Zoe’s point of enquiry explores the mental, emotional, and physical trade-off of the act of leaving for the hope of a better future not just for a family, but for generations to come. It looks at how affection and resilience manifests itself physically, but also in speech, writings, memories, and songs.

The work draws inspiration from personal testimonies and oral histories, photographs, language, and earthly surroundings to convey the cost of mobility, transience, and sacrifice.