HIMBO ON ELM STREET

Painting on Unstretched Canvas | 78"‘ X 33.5’ | 2023

Himbo On Elm Street is a self-portrait painting containing elements of consumerist fashion, brands, pop culture and cultural textiles that figurates Ephraim’s clashing cultural identity and belonging through his diasporic experience being Filipino in Canada. He models Canadian brands such as DSquared2 and Roots with a shirt containing Filipino rattan weave patterns (solihiya) and red checkered plaids distinctive of western motifs.He steps on a banig mat with red Converse All Stars while enjoying a Regent Ube Sponge Cake with a hot, freshly served Tim Hortons beverage. Through illustrating various cluttered objects, the work suggests the creation of a home, in which is a mere invention or construct. Being diasporic enables the artist to create a sense of belonging by constructing a home away from home. 

Referencing Glen Lantz (Johnny Depp) from the 1984 horror slasher film A Nightmare on Elm Street, the artist emphasizes his fashion, gender, self-expression, and his character as a teenager to recount Ephraim’s diasporic experience as an adolescent up to now. The artist reinterprets Glen’s infamous athletic crop top with the word “Himbo” in Baybayin (a writing system once used in pre-colonial Philippines) and includes the cultural text unto the Converse shoes. The golden ring and bracelets worn in the piece also have pre-colonial nods. For instance, his ring resembles a Kris sword used for combat at the time.