R.C. May Photography Lecture Series: Stephanie Syjuco

Stephanie Syjuco’s photographs and installation work address a range of contemporary issues, including the disputed ground of identity; nationality and citizenship; and the varied legacies of colonialism. The artist was born in the Philippines and came to the United States with her family at the age of three; her background is difficult to establish from her appearance. She explores that indeterminacy by often appearing as her own model in different guises, as can be seen in Cargo Cults: Head Bundle.

Syjuco’s work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, among other institutions. A recipient of the Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship, she is a passionate educator, currently teaching sculpture, photography, and experimental media at the University of California, Berkeley. 

Stephanie Syjuco: Recent Work is on view at the Art Museum through May 5. 

image: Stephanie Syjuco, Cargo Cults: Head Bundle, 2016, pigmented inkjet print, ed. 5, Collection of Nion McEvoy, San Francisco