Joshua Lee Modina

Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art)

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I am a Filipino multimedia artist working with painting, sculpture, drawing and murals in public space. Born in the Philippines, I have been practising in Australia for the past decade, combining these art forms to create wall installations that draw on diverse influences including manga illustration and surrealist painting. I am influenced by artists like Yoshitomo Nara and Roby Dwi Antono and aim to combine diverse cultural influences to create new forms. Drawing on memory, lived experience and an understanding of the archetypes of Asian culture I build cross-cultural narratives that speak to a life lived in diaspora between the Philippines and Australia. In this installation I express the mental strain and pressure I and others experience as a result of discrimination against people of Asian descent and the recent rise of Asian hate/Xenophobia in Australia. My vision for this work is to re-establish a sense of self through the acknowledgement of mental suffering and to communicate these themes to a wider audience. I find myself questioning why it is so hard to talk about this aspect of my experience. Is it because of shame or guilt or being seen as weak by others? I realised through the time spent making this work that the process gave me a sense of relief and freedom from the burden of suppressed feelings. I ask: "How can you really feel happy when you're doing nothing but keeping unwanted feelings to yourself?”

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Untitiled (full installation shot), 2021