The husband-and-wife team of Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, who emigrated from the Philippines to Australia in 2006, address themes of displacement, change, memory and community. Their large-scale installations often reflect their own migratory experiences, while conveying points of exchange and communication that extend beyond borders.
The duo focuses on both individual narratives, as well as on relationships with the “other” in a new environment. They often collaborate with young people and migrants. For the 2009 Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, the Aquilizans produced an enormous suspended sculpture titled In-Flight (Project Another Country). The work comprised hundreds of tiny planes made by hand from found objects by children and adults during the course of the exhibition. The lyrical sculptures Last Flight and Wings III, made of used rubber slippers, echo similar themes of journey and a bittersweet desire for a new life.
The Aquilizans have shown their work at The Drawing Room, Manila; the 50th International Art Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia, 2003; the 5th Gwangju Biennale, 2004; the 15th Biennale of Sydney, 2006; the Singapore Biennale 2008; the Liverpool Biennial 2010 held at Tate Liverpool; and the Sharjah Biennial 11, 2013.
Alfredo Aquilizan, born in Cagayan Valley, Philippines, 1962 and Isabel Aquilizan, born in Manila, 1965 | Live and work in Brisbane
