"50 Shades of Kayumanggi" and Filipino Self-Portraits

Installation Detail. 50 Shades of Kayumanggi, Digital prints on vinyl. ©2015 France Viana

Two upcoming Bay Area Art Events:

GRADUATION GROUP ART EXHIBITION: "50 Shades of Kayumanggi" installation
OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, April 11, 2015
5:00-7:00 p.m.
Mills Museum, Mills College
5000 MacArthur Blvd.
Oakland, CA
The show will run from April 1-18, 2015
Hours and directions: http://mcam.mills.edu/visit/

In them Filipino, language, “kayumanggi,” is the untranslatable word for Filipino skin color a deep caramel hue. Kayumanggi is often referred to, but has never been defined. Inviting community participation has always been an important component of my artistic process, and for this exhibition, I photographed hundreds of Bay Area Filipino Americans to collect skin color shades. I then calculated the spectral average color and ordered matching  pigments from Golden Paints.

This installation explores the various meanings of kayumanggi, the connotations of gender, class and race that we load on to a simple color,and how these meanings impact visual perception.

TALK: “Failed Exorcisms: Colonial Hauntings in Filipino Self-Portraits From the Paulino Que Collection”
Saturday, April 25, 2015
1:00-3:00 p.m.
Koret Auditorium
DeYoung Museum
Golden Gate Park, SF

France Viana will present a 15-minute talk and slide presentation as part of the annual Bay Area Research Symposium in Art History. She will be representing Mills College; four other colleges will also make presentations. Reception and refreshments will follow after the talks.

All events are open to the public; feel free to invite others.