Within film, art, music, fashion and other creative industries, there is a lack of representation of people of color, including Asian people. While recent years have seen more Asian representation with films like Crazy Rich Asians and The Farewell, these depictions continually center East Asian narratives, leaving many people—including the Filipino diaspora—out of the picture. This dearth of visibility is what birthed Hella Pinay, a queer-led …
Romantic and dreamy, “Harana x Half Free” by Brooklyn-based rapper and poet KAYA comprises two parts. The first half, “Harana,” is an R&B-laced take on the Filipino rural serenade tradition where young men formally meet single lady visitors. Then, the tempo picks up for the hip-hop counterpart, “Half Free,” a term KAYA uses to describe the Filipino diaspora in NYC. This section sees KAYA, along …
Issue #2 of Honolulu-based, artist-led Tropic Zine focuses on the Filipinx diaspora—aiming to “decolonize, deconstruct, and reimagine” what it means to identify as such. The publication has been printed in an edition of 500 and includes contributions from Leah Danze, Catalina Africa Espinosa, Jasmine Wenzel, Calla Camero, Taissa Fromme, Azuré Keahi, gentofish and many more.
