Cece Carpio's 975 Bryant Mural
About the Mural
A jeepney or a jeep is one one the main modes of public transportation in the Philippines as the Muni buses are here in San Francisco. The Jeepney's decor has become a widespread symbol of Philippine culture and art. Similarly, Muni buses in the 80's through the 90's have been used as canvasses for street artists in the Bay Area at the same time hip-hop culture was on the rise.
Jeepneys originated from the American colonial period, used as U.S military jeeps mostly from the World War II era, and have been reclaimed and modified through the decades to be a popular iconic symbol in Philippine culture. My intent is to provide the Bay Area audience with familiarity and visibility of a popular and iconic Philippine cultural symbol side by side with one of the closest objects that is familiar to them and that they see and/or utilize on everyday bases.
Adding intergenerational Filipino personas in the middle of the design, at the bus stop waiting for their ride is a metaphor for Filipino immigrants and/or diaspora navigating both worlds of the Philippines and SOMA. Some of the characters are representative of collective experience in the demographic population found in SOMA-- such as the manong veteranos, who after almost a century are still waiting for their U.S. citizenship, Filipino nurses, and caregivers who served in the frontline of the global pandemic risking their own lives. Those are just samples of the diaspora experience of Filipino immigrants at the crossroads of many worlds.
Video by Kapwa Kollective
Mural Celebration - March 24, 2023
Photos by Sean Santos.
About the Artist: Cece Carpio
Using acrylic, ink, aerosol and installations, Cece Carpio tell stories of immigration, ancestry, resistance, and resilience. She documents evolving traditions through combining folkloric forms, bold portraits and natural elements with urban art techniques. Her work is influenced by people she have met and places she’ve been. Cece paints everyday people who have been invincible in order to share their thriving presence, to show the dignity and power of their existence.
Cece has produced and exhibited work in the Philippines, Fiji Islands, Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Italy, Norway, Ireland, United Kingdom, India, Guam and throughout the United States. She has been awarded the Rockwood Institute Fellowship for leaders engaged in the Arts as critical agent of change. She also received New York Foundation of the Art Immigrant Artist Fellowship, a teaching residency at Café R.E.D & La Botica Espacio Cultural at Xela, Guatemala, and artist residency with KulArts at SOMA San Francisco. The City of Oakland, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, UC Berkeley, and Oakland Museum of CA, have commissioned her work. She is currently working as the Galleries Manager for the San Francisco Arts Commission, and is a Public Art Advisor for the City of Oakland.
She can often be found collaborating with her collective, Trust Your Struggle, teaching, and traveling around the world in pursuit of the perfect wall.