The Asian Pacific American Heritage Association (APAHA) is excited to announce the launch of it's Artist Feature program. A new initiative that proudly showcases the work of our local AAPI artists. The program will provide a new platform for our AAPI artists, in addition to new opportunities for new commissions and professional development. 

It is with pleasure that we introduce Matt Manalo as our first artist. A fitting tribute in celebration of Filipino American Heritage Month.

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(Join us for the virtual kick off on Saturday, October 17, 2021 at 4 p.m. for a virtual zoom discussion with Artist Feature Matt Manalo to discuss his work and background. The event is free to all attendees.

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About Matt Manalo
Matt is the founder of Filipinix Artists of Houston, a collective of visual, performing, literary, culinary, and multidisciplinary artists. He also created Alief Art House, an alternative art space in Southwest Houston.

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He creates work which involves elements of painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, and printmaking. He uses raw materials, found objects sometimes collected and often times donated. By doing this, he is making his practice environmentally conscious as well as understanding the idea of scarcity and abundance. He uses the grid as a foundation for most of his work to tackle geography, cartography, borders, and the idea of displacement while having a constant conversation of how “home” should be defined.

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Being a first generation immigrant, Manalo discusses his experiences navigating around the physical and social structures of society through his work. As he explores this, home becomes a two-part environment where the artist is split between the Philippines and Texas. The latter sits on the southern border of the US. It is also important to mention that colonization of the Philippines by Spain, Japan and the United States resulted in erasure, colorism and colonial mentality; a frequent topic in Manalo’s work.

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