EXHIBITION OVERVIEW
Kiam Marcelo Junio (preferred gender pronoun: "they/their/them”) is a Chicago-based visual and performance artist. Their research and art work center around queer identity, Philippine history and the Filipino diaspora, American imperialism, and personal and collective healing through collaborative work and individual WERQ. Kiam served seven years in the US Navy as a Hospital Corpsman. They were born in the Philippines, and have lived in the U.S., Japan, and Spain.
Junio's exhibition coincided with the A Woman's Place is in the Gallery: Guerrilla Girls, 1985-2015. Both exhibitions celebrated 30 years of Women & Gender Studies at Augustana College.
#QueeringCamouflage
"Camouflage as a Metaphor for Passing is a body of work that articulates the specific intersections of my identities as a queer, Filipino American immigrant, and US Navy veteran. I associate camouflage’s use in nature, and the camouflage pattern in military and contemporary art history, and investigate how they collide with ideas of Filipino and Asian visibility in the context of postcolonial studies."
-Kiam Marcelo Junio, "exhibition essay"
Junio's exhibition not only included work from Camouflage as a Metaphor for Passing, but also included a reflective essay, tying together their biography and work, as well as video work from other projects including Filipino Fusions, Porn Again (a collaboration with Sofia Moreno), and Sacred Skin.
Photo credit: Augustana Photo Bureau
PROGRAMMING: GALLERY TALK
At the opening reception, Junio spoke to visitors about their artistic practice, engendered discussion about identity and took questions about their work.
PROGRAMMING: PERFORMANCE
In collaboration with Rozz-Tox, the Augustana Teaching Museum of Art hosted a performance of two chapters of Kiam Marcelo Junio's Sacred Skin: Chapter 1: The Big Bang (video screening) and Chapter 2: On Earth as it is in Heaven (live performance) at Rozz-Tox.