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Sharing more of the extended research & photography of my month long ARROZidency artist-in-residence. If you are just starting here, I recommend scrolling to the bottom to start at the beginning. View from a computer for the full experience! As another reminder, I've split up the work from my residency into 2 separate tags: For my main residency project only, visit: For the full extended roundup of my research during my residency, visit: My month in San Francisco for my ARROZidency was surrounded by art and creatives. I felt/feel incredibly fortunate & grateful for the experience, because I got to meet so many artists, as well as reconnect with artists & friends I hadn't seen in real life for a number of years. It was amazing to feel like I was immersed in a community of creatives again, & also have access to art everywhere. From my residency studio, its facilities & all the people who work there, to the galleries just across the street, to even the temp sublet I was renting in Nob Hill. Of course, while spending my time getting creative & connecting with other artists, I also got to experience some exhibitions & soak up some inspiration that way. Here's a few shows I got to check out in-person! Photographs were created with my Nikon ZF & a 24-70mm lens. Click any image below to enlarge. Spirit House at Cantor Arts Center at Stanford UniversityMy residency host invited me, another artist at the studio (who was also a former AIR) & his spouse to check out the last few days of Spirit House at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. You can check out a virtual tour of the program on their website. I appreciate that some institutions & arts spaces still offer this accessibility option for the many reasons some cannot make it to art exhibitions in-person. I also did not photograph every single work, just a few of my favorites. So definitely head over to their website to view the full exhibition of works & to learn more! The artwork themselves were phenomenal, the collection was a great choice, & the placement of everything was very thoughtful. I have no notes or edits on the layout, selection, or the artwork at all. I just have a lot to say about exhibitions like these. However, I'm not an art critic, so I'm saving that discourse for real life conversations. If you know me, you already know how I feel about it. ;)
Stephanie H. Shih Offering (Ash Tower), 2023 ceramic and steel
Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya What Remains, 2024 rice boxes, paint, rice, rebar, wood, cast hands, beads, thread, rope, wire, and textile
right: Cathy Lu Banana Tree, 2023 ceramic and joss sticks left: Reagan Louie Window, San Francisco, Chinatown, 2005 archival pigment print edition 2 of 5 I might be biased, because I love photography (obviously) & didn't see a lot of of it in the exhibition, but Louie's photo was probably my favorite piece in the show. Not necessarily because it was a photograph, but the simplicity of a still life photo down to the smaller scale of the piece compared to the (sometimes) overwhelming size of everything else managed to say a lot. Sometimes less is more, & this piece truly embodied that for me. This was a peak into someone's world, something that was relatable for me in just this one small photo. I'm not Chinese, but it's something about the clutter and maximalism of a small space that speaks to the universal experience of growing up in a small immigrant household. 
Nina Molloy Shrine, 2021–2022 oil on canvas
Tuan Andrew Nguyen Nothing Is Ever Lost, Nothing Ever Gained, 2022 brass from artillery shells, mounted on black stainless steel Nothing Ever Dies, 2022 singing bowl pounded from 122 mm brass artillery shell, tuned to note G at 410 Hz 
Tidawhitney Lek Refuge, 2023 acrylic, pastel, and oil on canvas
Dinh Q. Lê Cambodia Reamker #29, 2022 Epson inkjet print on Epson double-weight matte paper, acid-free double-sided tape, and PH-neutral linen book tape
Maia Cruz Palileo Big Lolo, Little Lolo, 2021 wood, milk paint, table
Korakrit Arunanondchai Shore of Security, 2022 repurposed wooden dollhouse made by the artist's mother, wood, house paint polyurethane, fabric sculpture, ceramics snake skeleton, and LED lights
Namita Paul Testimony, 2023 canvas and gifted textiles, thread, gold leaf, gold spray paint, lentils, wheat berries, and photo transfer  I don't think these tapestries were technically part of the exhibition? There seems to be no clickable description about them in the virtual tour — so, unsure!  Friend & residency co-host Malou with her baby girl, Habibi! Oscar yi Hou Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, aka: Bushwick Bleeding Hearts Club, 2022 oil and gouache on canvas Cian Dayrit's LibertIEs Were Taken at Root Division I got to check out Cian Dayrit's solo exhibition Liberties Were Taken at Root Division during SF Art Week, a week-long celebrations of San Francisco's art scene that takes place across multiple galleries and creative spaces. I attended a curator-led walkthrough of the exhibition that was very informative, & the curator was a very professional presenter, making it was clear they did a lot of research and studying for this exhibition. Also got to meet a rad fellow photographer, Hunter, who works at the gallery & took this photo of me in action, haha! Here were some of my fav pieces from the show. While I did enjoy the Spirit House exhibition a lot, I have to say I liked this one more. And not because the artist is Filipino, but I appreciate smaller community art spaces like these more over large institutions. 
 
  Minnesota Street Project's Dark Matter for SF Art Week 2025Last but not least, I got to check out Dark Matter presented by The Space Program at Minnesota Street Project for SF Art Week, one of the main events of the week. I was very lucky to have been located so close to this event, with the studios being just across the street. One of the artists at the studio whom I'd gotten to know over the month also had work part of this program. I also learnt this night, that the owner of Re.riddle (one of the gallery spaces at Minnesota Street Project) was also the curator of the exhibition I got to see at Edge on the Square! It was really amazing in the end how all my experiences connected with each other. Below are a few of my fav pieces from Dark Matter, but here is a full list of works if you'd like you see what else was shown. Some of the work below was not part of the Dark Matter program, but from exhibitions at one of the galleries that were open during the opening night — so make sure to check out that image list for accuracy!  Maria A. Guzmán Capron and Seth Capron Lap Chair powder coated aluminum 19"x55"x55" 2025
Ben Venom Night Flyers, 2024 hand-made quilt with fabric 39” x 51”
Rachelle Reichert Wildfires, 2024 San Francisco Bay salt, redwood ashes from California wildfires, and mixed media on panel 48" x 48.5"  Jud Bergeron Layered #1-4, 2024 ink and copper leaf on paper 33" x 25"  left: Richard Colman Untitled (Aluminum Leaf), 2024 20” x 23” silkscreen, acrylic and aluminum leaf on paper right: Untitled (Gold Leaf), 2024 20” x 23” silkscreen, acrylic and gold leaf on paper
Demetri Broxton Just Beyond the Waters, 2025 sequins, glass and wood beads, rayon tassels, silver, quartz, and cowrie shells on sateen cotton, linen, wool, and birch 21" x 38"
Andy Diaz Hope Future Memory: Juniper, 2023 17" x 26" unframed digital and physical collage, silkscreen, and photography on paper
left: Oliver Hawk Holden Watermelon inflatable in solidarity with Palestine, 2023 Ripstop nylon, HVAC fan, plywood, and sheet metal 8' x 8' x 16' top right: Jay Howell 22” x 24” Untitled, 2024 5 color silkscreen bottom right painting: Yarrow Slaps Castles burn and new grounds rise, 2024 12" x 12" acrylic on canvas bottom right sculptures: Yarrow Slaps Star Lady Plant Head and King Bruh Bruh w the glasses, 2024 ceramic
Charlene Tan Kumot ng Bata, a Homage. 2024 silver leaf, abalone, capiz, cowrie shell, airport reflective glass beads, micro beads, paint, glue, and digital print on aluminum panel 54” x 72”
Gianluca Franzese Arteries of the Earth, 2024 aluminum leaf, silver leaf, copper leaf, 12k white gold leaf, 18k and 22k gold leaf with acrylic glazes on panel 48 x 60.75" 
 
Works from Rena Bransten Gallery's Summoning group exhibition. left: Lava Thomas I Walk in the Light of My Ancestors' Prayers, 2024 altered tambourines, acrylic marker on metallic leather, mirrored acrylic disks, grosgrain ribbon 59.5" x 115.25" x 2" right: Viviana Paredes Everywhere / nowhere, 2018 cast glass, ceramic beads, steel plate sculpture: 6" x 13" x 10" steel plate: 15" x 13" x 0.25" A final post & conclusion of my photos & research from my residency are forthcoming & will be tagged under ARROZidency.
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Our 9th assignment for my advanced photo lighting class was intended to be a portrait diptych. There were some parameters for the assignment, but of course, I broke the rules, haha! However, we were given the freedom to use any technique we learnt in the class so far. So I decided to play with the lighting effects we practiced in the Blur/Sharp assignment. I loved learning that technique so much, & I just wanted another reason to play with it again! Here is the diptych as a single composite (top), followed by the 2 image files separately (middle). Later, I decided to collage the images together in Photoshop & I wrote a little haiku to accompany it (bottom). More explanation on the concept at the bottom — keep reading! I'm also planning to make the photo collage into a risograph print. Comment below if you're interested in buying one later! They'll likely be available in the new year (after I wrap up other projects). Photos were made with my Nikon ZF, a 24-70mm lens, a Paul C. Buff strobe with a 20 grid attached, & a red bike light. Click any image below to enlarge. Diptych composite: Individual image files:
Collage + Haiku The parameters for this assignment required that we make 2 photos in the same orientation (either both portrait or both landscape). Originally, I'd played with cropping the left image, but the full image just didn't look right cropped — it needed to be the full thing. And the other images photographed in portrait orientation just weren't as dynamic with the lighting. SO, all that to say, I decided to break that requirement, cuz fuck it. As far as portrait goes, I decided to be more abstract with my interpretation of what a portrait looks like, instead of just creating a standard portrait of someone's face. Inspiration: These flowers are marigolds I'd planted from seeds at the beginning of summer. The whole time, I was hoping they'd be ready in time for Day of the Dead this year (Araw ng mga Patay/Undas/Dia de los Muertos). I spent so much time caring for & tending to them. Lucky for me, they were ready in time & it felt like such a blessing to be able to spend so much time with them & have them finally say hello. When I photographed them, they were in the stage of transitioning out & I wanted to document them before their time with us was up. The red light blurs kind of conveys an otherworldly/metaphysical presence. Process: As you can see in the BTS photos, I used a single strobe for both images (fired at the lowest power) as well as a red bike light (set at the highest brightness). I strapped the bike light onto the tripod for the flower photo & onto the railing for the hand photo. I used a long exposure, set the camera to self-timer & set the shutter to fire 5x in a row. To get the red blur effect on the flower bush, I shook the bush as the strobe & camera shutter both fired. Let me tell you, having the camera create 5 exposures in a row was a genius move, cuz I had various options to choose from later! Then, for the hand image, my partner was kind enough to let me use his hand to fill in as I manually focused the lens, & he shook the bush as I posed my hand in front of the camera. Totally not intentional either, the white flower just happened to land perfectly in the frame & it was then that I knew that was the composition I was gonna go with! BTS/PROCESS:
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NICA AQUINOIn this space I'll share digital previews of my film photography, updates on new artworks in progress, upcoming programs, inspiration & my other misc interests. Archives
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