Today we’d like to introduce you to Camille Papa.
Camille, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in Los Angeles, California and grew up in a Historic Filipinotown.
I started making art as a hobby around the age of 13 in middle school doing a summer program with Hearts of Los Angeles (HOLA) a non-profit organization located near MacArthur Park. I took a few drawing and photography classes there and I loved it!
By the time I entered high school, I decided to continue this hobby and make it into a primary passion by attending Ramón C. Cortines Highschool of Visual and Performing Arts. Studying under their Visual academy program I learned and developed painting, drawing, and ceramics with amazing mentors.
After high school, I decided to seriously pursue art by studying Fine Art in Art Center College of Design in Pasadena where I received my BFA, spring 2019. During my time there, I met great teachers and peers who helped me further develop my artist craft as I learned more about contemporary art, art history, and theory.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Growing up in Historic Filipinotown, it wasn’t necessarily the greatest nor the worst neighborhood to be living in but it was unique in terms of community and culture. I felt very much a part of the community as well as connected and I am blessed to have a determined family who guided me well throughout the years.
My family, who are first-generation immigrants came from the Philippines in the 80s working nonstop in trying to live and achieve the “American Dream”. Having being raised in an environment where I am reminded regularly of the sacrifices they gave to attaining successful opportunities and a greater future was a tough act to follow. Being an only child I had constant insecurities and guilt about going into a fine art career as my family expected me to enter in the medical field. My refusal to joining the medical field lead to some skepticism in how successful I can be in fine art. It was discouraging to see their doubt in me but from that doubt propelled me to work ten times harder in order to prove to them that I can be successful in making art.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
My current practice medium is primarily textile and weave making. I make a variety of weavings and soft sculptures that are all based on my identity as a Filipino-American. All my works deal with investigating the feelings of displacement as a child of immigrants while finding a balance between American and Filipino culture.
One of my weavings, Nangungulila Sa Bayan which translates into ” Homesick”, is a piece I woven from recycled and found materials in dedication to my father who finally returned back home in the Philippines after ten long years not seeing his family. I specially chose blue materials to represent the oceanside my father and I frequently gazed at from the rooftop of the home we resided in during our visit.
Aside from textile and weave making, I occasionally also work with printmaking. In Lahat Para Sa Pamilya, I made about 200 cyanotype prints of slowly deteriorating family photos that I rediscovered in my home. In this work, I attempted to recreate these family memories that represent my identity as an of child immigrants while also acting a constant reminder of my family’s journey from the Phillippines to the United States.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
What I personally define success is how hard I work in learning my craft. It’s by taking in the failures along with the criticisms and producing artwork that speaks to my audience clearly. To me, it all comes down to how well thought out the work is, how it is received by my audience, how accessible the work is and how satisfied I am by it.
Contact Info:
- Email: cpapastudio@gmail.com
- Instagram: @cpapastudio
Image Credit:
Jack Cheng
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